


Not the one

by chasing_the_wild_dream



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, Age Difference, Bisexual Emma Swan, Captain Swan - Freeform, Drama, Emma and Killian are a thing, F/F, Friendship, Love, RedQueen, Romance, Slow Burn, Swan Queen friendship, not a swan queen story, wolfqueen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2018-12-18 09:28:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 33,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11871423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasing_the_wild_dream/pseuds/chasing_the_wild_dream
Summary: Ever since her break up with Emma about two years ago Regina hasn't dated. Hasn't even considered dating.It all changes when she stumbles intoThe Rabbit Holeone night, a well-known gay bar, and she catches sight of the bartender - Ruby.While Regina tries to convince herself that they can never be anything, Ruby has different plans.





	1. Prolog

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jt4702](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jt4702/gifts).



> **Disclaimer: OUAT and all its characters belong to Adam Horowitz, Eddy Kitsis and ABC.**
> 
> \-------------
> 
> A/N: Hello everyone, 
> 
> a few things before we get started.  
> This is NOT a SwanQueen story. Emma is, in fact, dating Killian.  
> He's not a bad guy in this story, but if that's not something you want to read then you might want to turn around right away.
> 
> This is a story about Regina and Ruby and all the challenges they'll face on their journey, separately and together.  
> It's going to be a bit of a slow burn as well so bear with me.
> 
> I had no intention of ever posting this story (it's already finished so the wait between chapters won't be long), but some of my friends made their interest known - so here we are.
> 
> _And last, but not least, I want to dedicate this story to someone who is very dear to me - my outstanding_ _friend Sandra._  
>  _She's nothing short of incredible. Not only is she a crazy talented writer herself, but she's also my partner in_ _crime *hehe*; we are working on quite a few projects together._  
>  _More than that she is one of the kindest people I know. Always so selfless and decent and with a heart of_ gold.  
>  _And she is my friend._
> 
>  
> 
> _I can't put into words how grateful I am that our paths have crossed, I don't have words to explain how much _I_ treasure her - as an artist, and more importantly, as a friend._
> 
> _She's badass._   
>  _I respect her._   
>  _I trust her._
> 
> _She's part of the pack and I dare say nobody understands me and my love for dogs the way she does._
> 
>    
>  __ **So, Sandra...this one is for you.**  
>  __ **Thank you. Just thank you. For literally everything.**  
> 

**H** er smile was infectious.  
It barely took a second until Regina felt her own smile grow.

The gorgeous brunette was the only reason she let her friends drag her back into this establishment almost every other week. She simply was not made for bar hopping and the likes, but coming to _The Rabbit Hole_ was something she looked forward to because of that beautiful smile of the even more beautiful brunette behind the bar.

“Why don’t you go over and invite her for a drink?”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to stay calm. Yes, her friends meant well, but it was annoying how they constantly tried to set her up with someone.  
Sure, two years had passed since her break up with Emma and she had been over it for a while now, they even had remained friends and not only because of Henry, but simply because they had been through so much in the eleven years they had been together, and yet she didn't feel ready to let someone new into her life.

Not even Emma being in a new relationship since a few months had torn them apart although it had been awkward in the beginning, but they had handled it together as the family they would always be because of the son they shared, but Regina wasn’t sure she even wanted a new relationship.  
Getting to know people had always been hard for her, she was complicated like that. She was fairly good looking and she could say that without being arrogant, but Regina wanted someone who made the effort to get to know her - the woman behind the mask she was wearing to hide her vulnerable heart. It had been this way since she could remember, probably because of her upbringing.

“Regina, come on…just go and buy that girl a drink. It’s really not that hard…”

She chuckled bitterly, “She’s a bartender, Mal. I doubt she needs someone to buy her a drink. Besides…she might be nice to look at, but I’m not looking for a one night stand…”

“Yeah, yeah. You want the real deal. You had it with Emma for over ten years…why can’t you have some fun for once?”, her oldest friend looked at her in challenge. 

“Mal, that was low. Leave Regina alone. If she doesn’t want to go for her we have to accept that. Considering all the girls who are constantly around her she might be a total player…”, Kathryn added and Regina nodded at her gratefully.

“Player or not, she’s a pretty thing. Hell, I could be persuaded to buy her a drink and I’m not even gay”, Mal stated and earned a glare from her friends, which only made her laugh, “Regina, for heaven’s sake! Admit it already…you totally have the hots for her. You didn’t like one gay bar we’ve taken you to, all of them more classy than this one. You don’t even like going out, you’d rather stay at home and read, you little nerd. Yet you never complain when we come here and you always zone out as soon as you spot her behind the bar…why deny it? Just live a little…Henry won’t love you any less. He still loves Emma although she’s dating that dork now.”

“Mal, you know I love you, but shut up…”, Regina growled, “She is a beautiful girl, no doubt. But there has to be more to a person than good looks. I’m not as superficial as you are.”

“Ouch”, Mal replied in mock offence, “I’m not looking for a relationship, darling…so the good looks are more than enough for me.”

Regina rubbed her temple, “I know. And as long as you are happy with that. But I’m different. I don’t want to be one out of many. It’s just not…”

Kathryn placed her hand over Regina’s and squeezed it encouragingly, “It’s okay, sweetie. You are right. She’s a terrible flirt. She’s not the one.”

And while Kathryn had only voiced her thoughts it bugged Regina all of a sudden.  
Hearing that Ruby, of course she knew her name, everyone did in fact, was not the one for her accomplished only one thing.  
It made Regina wish she were.


	2. Just a bartender?

**R** egina grabbed her water bottle and headed out of her apartment, in dire need for a run.  
Emma would bring Henry over later today because it was her week with their son, so she decided to squeeze her workout in before she had to start preparing dinner.

Usually she went for a run in the morning, but it had been raining heavily earlier and since she had no intention of catching a cold or worse Regina had decided to wait till after lunch.  
It had been the right decision since the sun was shining now and Regina jogged down to the park with ease, enjoying the fresh air.

She thought about dinner and how much she looked forward to seeing Henry, grateful once more that her break up with Emma had gone relatively amicable.  
Kathryn would be coming over for dinner as well and Regina hoped that the blonde would have the good sense not to mention their discussion from _The Rabbit Hole_ last night.  
Henry would be thrilled to hear that someone had caught her interest and knowing her son he would immediately start making plans or come up with an “operation” if he heard that she wouldn’t go for it and Regina wanted to avoid that at all cost.

It had taken Henry a while to come to terms with their break up, but things had gotten better once he had understood that they would always be a family, no matter what.  
Ever since they had worked out a proper schedule so Henry would get to spend equal amounts of time with both of them things were okay for him. Family days where it was the three of them doing something together were his cherry on top and Regina was so very grateful that they were able to pull it off. It had been weird in the beginning, challenging to be together without actually being together, but things had gotten easier with time and it had only proven that their break up had been for the best. Henry must have understood that as well at some point because he had tried to be open to Emma dating again from the start. It had been difficult for him, Regina was aware of that, but he had been supportive nonetheless and they had been so proud of Henry for being such a reasonable boy.

But of course, now that Emma was dating again, Henry was going on and on about how he wanted Regina to be happy as well and he assumed that she needed a new partner for that.  
The truth was that Regina needed no one, she was quite content with her life, but of course she was lonely at times. Especially during the weeks Henry was with Emma.

Dating was not up for discussion though, for one because she didn’t base her happiness on having a relationship and second, no one had caught her interest yet.  
Well, that wasn’t entirely true.

There was Ruby.  
Ruby with her infectious smile.

As soon as she thought about the gorgeous bartender her lips turned into a grin and Regina started to jog a little faster while she wondered why the park looked almost abandoned when the weather was so great.  
But then she remembered that there was some festival at the stables today and most of the people would probably be there. She had not been riding for a while, but had thought about it quite often during the last weeks.  
Maybe she would give it a shot sometime.

Before she knew it her mind was on Ruby once again and Regina shook her head.  
Why she was so taken with the brunette bartender was beyond her. Ruby was good looking, she was magnificent, really, but she had never been so superficial.  
The few occasions she had ordered drinks during Ruby’s shift had been pretty much all the interaction that had ever happened between them and yet Regina felt drawn to the flirty waitress and it didn’t sit well with her.

She stopped running, took a deep breath and began to stretch her legs and arms and her mind wandered back to Ruby instantly.  
To hell with it!  
Maybe it was the fact that Ruby was so outgoing and that she had such a positive vibe that had caught her attention, but she wasn’t sure.  
All Regina knew was that the brunette’s smile could light up a whole room and that she wanted to wake up to a smile like that every single day if she ever were to consider having a relationship again.  
But clearly it couldn’t be Ruby’s.  
Ruby was young and free and oh so flirty and constantly surrounded by the most beautiful women and Regina knew she couldn’t and wouldn’t compete with that.  
And not because of her appearance because she was looking just fine for her age, but because she wasn’t necessarily a party person and she had a son who deserved better than his mother having affairs with much younger bartenders.

With a sigh Regina took a sip of her water bottle before she started to run again, determined to forget about Ruby and _The Rabbit Hole_ for good.  
There was no point in torturing herself over a little crush that never would lead anywhere.

She headed through the alley, watched some kids play with a puppy for a moment as she passed by and decided to take the route by the lake.  
Regina turned left, about to round a tree, her focus on her breathing and the next thing she knew was that her shoulder was hurting. Apparently she had bumped into someone.

Rubbing her throbbing shoulder Regina looked around but saw no one till she heard a chuckle from the ground and instinctively looked down only to freeze.  
Right in front of her sat none other than Ruby with as bright a smile as she had ever seen on her face.

Regina was in some state of shock for a second because Ruby truly was the last person she would have expected to bump into. Ever.  
And obviously the bartender had been running too if her outfit was anything to go by.  
Who would have guessed?

“Ruby, I’m so sorry. I was lost in thought and I…”

Another chuckle escaped the bartender's lips, “It’s alright, Regina. I didn’t watch out either. Just…”, Ruby raised her right hand, “Would you please help me up? Too much tequila last night…”

It was Regina’s turn to chuckle, but she took the brunette’s hand anyway and pulled her back to her feet.

“Damn, you’re strong, lady”, Ruby commented in appreciation and Regina smiled because it was true, she was in good shape lately.

“Why are you even running when you are barely sober?”, she asked out of curiosity which had Ruby shrug, “Well, I love to run and it helps burn off the booze. So, as soon as I get up I go for a run.”

Regina’s eyes went wide in disbelief, “You only got up now? It’s past noon.”

Ruby laughed at that, “I only closed the bar around four, so I was home around half past five in the morning. You know with the cleaning and all. So I think it’s legitimate that I get to sleep for a couple of hours then.”

She felt like facepalming herself. Of course Ruby would sleep through the morning considering her job.   
God, she was such an idiot.  
“I usually run at six in the morning, but it’s been pouring earlier”, Regina explained without even knowing why.

Ruby groaned, “I don’t get how someone can get up at such an ungodly hour…”

Regina couldn’t stop herself from laughing at the comment and Ruby's miserable expression, “Well, you know, dear, some people do have actual jobs. We can’t all live from partying.”

The brunette shrugged noncommittally, “It’s my bar. I’ve got to be there.”

“ _The Rabbit Hole is_ yours?!”, Regina’s eyes went wide in surprise.

“Well, not exactly. It’s my grandmother’s, but I’ve been running it by myself for the better part of two years now because Granny is busy enough with the diner”, Ruby explained proudly, “And before you ask…it’s a long and complicated story.”

Regina nodded in understanding, her mind racing with all the questions that admission had brought.  
Ruby’s grandmother ran a diner and a gay bar? Well, Ruby obviously ran the gay bar, but still. Ruby and her grandmother had to be close then. What did her parents say to all of that? Were they supportive or were they as homophobic as her own mother?

No, she couldn’t go there. Not now. Not with Ruby standing right in front of her.  
Regina blinked twice to focus and found the brunette eyeing her closely.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, sorry, but I’m afraid I gotta go. Big dinner tonight”, Regina stated and rubbed her shoulder once again.

“Of course”, Ruby stretched, “I better get going too. Granny expects me to help out at the diner in an hour. One of the waitresses has gotten sick.”  
The brunette made an attempt to turn around, but stopped at the last second, “Uh hey…are you coming to the bar next Friday?”

Regina tilted her head and studied Ruby for a moment, but then she shook her head, “I can’t. I have my son this week. Why did you ask?”

“Well, it’s my birthday on Saturday and we are throwing a party on Friday. Just thought it would be fun. But no worries, kids come first. I understand that”, the brunette replied, but Regina could have sworn there was a flicker of disappointment in Ruby’s eyes for a moment.

“I’m truly sorry.”

“It’s fine. Really,” Ruby assured with a smile, “It was nice seeing you out here in the daylight, Regina. Have a nice dinner!”  
And with that, she started to run again and it made Regina yell after her, “Don’t overwork yourself!”

She stood there a few moments longer, watching Ruby jog down the alley and she felt as if she had missed something crucial, but it wasn’t until Regina started her own run home that it hit her like a ton of bricks.

Ruby had called her by her name.  
The name she had only yelled at her once over the loud music on the first night they had been at _The Rabbit Hole_ months ago. She was told that Ruby always introduced herself to new faces, but Regina had doubted that the bartender had even heard her.  
Not only had she heard her, but Ruby also remembered.  
There were so many customers at the bar every week, every single day really - regulars and newbies alike. And yet Ruby had remembered.  
And as foolish as she knew she was, in that moment Regina didn’t feel like one of many.  
In that moment she felt like maybe she should buy Ruby that drink Mal had suggested after all.


	3. Pride & Prejudice

**B** y the time she reached her apartment Regina had come back to her senses, aware that she would never buy Ruby a drink.  
The brunette was drinking enough as it was and while clearly there was more to Ruby than being a hot bartender, she was still that flirty person. That kind of person she would never date.  
Regina wasn’t judging, but she didn’t want to know how many girls Ruby took home every week and the thought alone gave her chills.  
Sure, Ruby could afford it with those endless legs and that killer smile, not to mention the rest of her attractive form, and her charm undoubtedly worked on pretty much anyone, but Regina wasn’t so easily swayed.

Was she attracted to Ruby? Absolutely. How could she not be?  
Would she go for it if she ever got the chance? Unlikely.  
It was like she had said the other night - she wanted something real, something lasting, not a sex based affair or something of the like.  
Ruby simply wasn’t the one.

\-------------

Her week with Henry had been great and she had needed a moment after she had dropped him off at Emma’s Sunday evening, but she had recovered quickly.  
There was a lot of work waiting for her that would keep her distracted till Henry would come back.

She had not gone to _The Rabbit Hole_ on Friday, she had not even thought about it if she was honest, because Henry had been her one and only focus all week. Now that he was gone she felt slightly guilty, but it could not be undone anyway.

Monday morning, it was barely 6 am and she was running through the park as if the devil was after her. There was no particular reason to push herself like that, but Regina needed to feel her body ache from the exercise. It made her feel alive.  
She would have a meeting with one of her most hated clients first thing in the morning and she wanted to burn up some energy before that to minimize the chance of strangling the insanely picky Mr. Gold.

She headed closer to _that_ park bench and that was when she saw her, much to her surprise . Ruby was sitting there, two cups in hand, a smile on her face, illuminated by a lamp, not far from the bench.

Regina came to a halt right in front of her, looking at the bartender in confusion, “What are you doing here?”

Ruby chuckled, “Good morning to you too, Regina.”

She had the good grace to look embarrassed while she mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

The brunette patted the seat next to her, “Sit down already and drink your coffee, lady.”

Regina did as she was told, albeit warily, took one of the offered cups and a sip of coffee, which caused her to sigh in contentment only a second later.  
When she turned her head to look at Ruby properly she found the bartender staring at her, “Thanks for the coffee, Ruby. But why are you here?”

“Well”, the brunette laughed, “Since you didn’t make it to my birthday party I figured this would be my only chance to buy you a drink.”

Regina scoffed, “Now why would you do that?”

“Because I bought all my regulars a drink on Friday, but you weren’t there.”

Of course. Regina felt like an idiot, “I would assume I’m the only one who got a coffee though.”

“That’s ‘cause you are not like the others”, Ruby stated with a smirk and took a sip of her own cup.

Regina openly glared at Ruby in irritation, “And what is that supposed to mean?”

The brunette raised her hands in surrender immediately, almost spilling her coffee, “Easy there, lady. All I’m saying is that I wouldn’t get up at this ungodly hour on my day off for just anyone.”

Needless to say that the answer took Regina by surprise and it showed, “Well, aren’t you quite the charmer, Miss…”

“Lucas. Ruby Lucas”, the bartender answered casually, all the while eyeing Regina curiously.

Regina felt defensive all of a sudden because she wouldn’t let the brunette sweet talk her way into her pants, there were enough other girls waiting in the line for that, “Well, Miss Lucas…while I truly appreciate the gesture”, she looked at her coffee cup quickly, “I have to inform you that your magic doesn’t work on me. I’m sure you can find someone else.”

It sounded harsher than she had intended, judging almost, and Regina winced at her own behaviour, but what was done was done. 

Ruby got up and glared right back at Regina, hurt and outrage evident in her expressive eyes, “Is that what you think this is? Me trying to what…fuck you and dump you like trash? Is that what you think I’m doing at the bar?”

“I…” 

“Answer me, Regina! Is that who you think I am?”

“What does it matter what I think? You don’t even know me”, Regina barked back, not sure why she felt so guilty.

Ruby threw her cup into the trash can next to the bench with vehemence, “No, I don’t know you. But I wanted to. You seemed interesting enough. If I had known you’re such a self-righteous and judgemental bi...", she stopped herself right in time, "Had I know that you thought that badly of me I surely wouldn’t have bothered.”

“Miss Lucas”, Regina felt like she had been slapped, “Ruby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“Whatever, Regina. Just so you know. Things aren’t always what they seem. Sometimes there’s more to a person than what meets the eye. Have a nice day!”  
And with that Ruby sprinted off as if the devil would have been after her this time.

 _Well done, Regina. Well done._  
Guilt was washing over her and she cursed herself for her own stupidity. And her behaviour.  
It was only then that she took another sip of her, now only lukewarm, coffee and realised that Ruby had tried to do something nice for her and she had totally blown it.  
And she hadn’t even wished her a happy belated birthday!  
It could not have gone worse than that, but Regina was determined to apologise.  
If only she had known how difficult a task it would turn out to be.


	4. Karma

**H** er initial plan had been to catch Ruby during one of her runs through the park, so Regina had spent every lunch break sitting on the same bench they had sat on last Monday, but the brunette had never shown during that hour, which had led to Regina showing up at _The Rabbit Hole_ Friday night, all by herself, because she didn’t want to have Kathryn or Mal around to witness her attempt to talk and apologize to the leggy bartender. They didn’t need to know or they would be onto her forever about how she probably should hook up with Ruby, even if it would be only for a night or two.  
She didn’t want that, she simply wanted to apologize and be done with it, but Ruby was not at _The Rabbit Hole_ that night either. She also didn’t show on Saturday and Regina grew slightly concerned, but she did not dare ask one of the other bartenders about Ruby's whereabouts.  
What would she even say if they wanted to know why she asked?  
They weren’t friends, they weren’t anything at all. 

Regina skipped her morning run on Sunday and went for it around the same time as the week before and she ran till her legs and lungs burned, but Ruby was nowhere to be seen.  
When she returned home she felt defeated and headed straight for the shower.  
She was furious, but Regina knew she couldn’t blame anyone other than herself. She could have called Ruby a slut and it wouldn’t have been much worse. 

Regina rested her forehead against the cool tiles of the shower while the hot water worked its magic on her tense muscles, but it did nothing to ease her mind.  
She had always been a complicated person and she had brought Emma close to desperation more times than she cared to remember, especially in the early days of their relationship. Later on Emma had learned how to read her and deal with her better and things had become easier, but it had been a bumpy road for a long time.  
The damage her mother had caused during her childhood had bled through for years and sometimes it did still.

She didn’t know why it bothered her so much what Ruby thought about her, but it had been evident in the younger brunette’s eyes that she had indeed hurt her and Regina was sorry about that.  
She hadn’t meant for things to get out of control and she wanted to make it up to Ruby if she would let her. At least she wanted to apologize, but she wasn’t sure how to accomplish that when the bartender was nowhere to be found.

When she finally stepped out of the shower she realised that she would be sore as hell in the morning from all the running she had forced on herself earlier, way past the point of what would have been comfortable, but she didn’t mind. She would take Henry out to dinner tonight because she had to look over some drafts for work before Emma would drop him off and since Kathryn wasn’t coming over tonight she felt like she could treat herself, and mostly Henry, to something they both enjoyed on the rare occasions she would allow it - chocolate milkshakes.

She put on some yoga pants and a simple v-neck shirt and made her way to her little home office, looking over the sketches and suggestions she had made for Gold’s new mansion.  
Being an interior designer and running her own small business could be exhausting at times, but it gave her the liberty of a flexible schedule and that had always come in handy with a kid in the picture.  
Regina loved her job, loved that she got to use her creativity, but her mother would probably tear her apart if she would still be in her life. Cora would taunt her about her lack of ambition and God knows what, but Regina couldn’t care less.  
She would never be wealthy like her parents, but she was able to make ends meet without a hassle and she had a few savings that she had managed to put together over the years, so, all in all, she was comfortable. She didn’t need a big house and all the luxuries her mother needed in her life. None of it could give you happiness and Regina would always prefer something real over something bought.

She became so engrossed in her work that she didn’t even hear the front door getting unlocked and she jumped when Henry stormed into the room with a smile on his face, but she recovered quickly and hugged him happily.

“Henry…how are you?”

“Hey mom, I’m good. I missed you. And I'm starving…”, he smiled brightly and Regina did as well. She would never get tired of hearing him call her mom and of course he was hungry. He always was.

“Is that your way of telling me you want dinner?” 

“Please?”, his puppy dog eyes would always win her over, so she nodded, “Alright. Let me get dressed and then we’ll go out and get something.”

“Awesome!”

\-------------

They had driven right to the diner they ate at on occasion, but much to their disappointment it was closed due to renovation.  
Since Regina was too tired to cook they decided to find another place, but it was easier said than done.   
Seattle was full of opportunities, but since she didn’t go out all that much Regina had no idea where to go for burgers and milkshakes right now. 

So they found themselves driving through the streets without a destination until Henry told her to stop and pointed at a sign of an unfamiliar diner. Regina did as she was told, parked the car and the two of them headed inside because it was starting to rain again.

The place was welcoming and there were quite a few customers sitting in the booths, but thankfully it was not overcrowded.

“This place is awesome”, Henry stated and headed for an unoccupied booth. Regina nodded her approval and they both slid in, looking at each other for a moment from across the table, smiling, before Henry grabbed the menu and began to study it eagerly.  
Regina looked around, watched a blonde waitress with a name tag that said ‘Ashley’ pour some drinks at the counter when all of a sudden the door to the kitchen swung open and none other than Ruby Lucas walked out, carrying three plates with food.

She was so surprised that she couldn’t look away and her eyes met Ruby’s only a second later.  
Damn.  
She’d been looking for the brunette all week, but of course she had to run into her when Henry was around.   
Karma truly was a bitch.  
And if Ruby’s expression was anything to go by the younger brunette wasn’t too thrilled to see her either.  
Great. This was just great.   
Maybe Ruby would simply ignore her, but of course she wasn’t so lucky because the next thing Regina saw was Ruby handing the plates to the other waitress and walking over to their booth.  
Regina silently prayed that Ruby would at least have the decency to not cause a scene in front of her son.

“Regina…it’s good to see you. What brings you here?” 

She could tell that Ruby’s words weren’t sincere, but at least she wasn’t hostile either because Henry would have caught up on that before she could have so much as blinked, “Ruby, hello. Henry and I were in the mood for milkshakes and the diner we usually frequent is temporarily closed so we were driving around and found this place. It’s your grandmother’s, right?”

Ruby only nodded, “Yeah. So, what can I get you two?”

“I’ll take a chocolate milkshake and a cheeseburger and fries. And I think mom will have the same, isn’t that right?”, Henry announced and waited for his mother’s answer, but Regina was too lost in thought.

“Mom?”

“Uh…yes?” 

Henry laughed, “Just get us what I said.”

His comment made Ruby laugh as well, “Alright then.” 

A moment later she was gone and Henry stared at his mom, “What’s going on?”

Regina closed her eyes and sighed because she definitely was in trouble.

\-------------

She had told Henry about _The Rabbit Hole_ and her son was thrilled to hear that she was going out sometimes. He hadn’t bought that there wasn’t more to the story for a second, but he was well aware that pushing his mom led to nowhere, so he had accepted the information she had shared willingly.

Regina was so grateful that Henry didn't start the inquisition right then and there, but she knew it would come eventually. She couldn’t focus on that now though because she needed a chance to talk to Ruby and clear the air between them, but before she could come up with a plan Ruby reappeared with their milkshakes and burgers and Regina frowned at the plate in front of her.  
Catching Henry’s triumphant smirk it dawned on her what she had missed out on earlier and she rolled her eyes with a sigh. She couldn’t really be mad at him although he knew quite well that she’d rather eat a salad than a burger, but she was aware that it was one of his attempts to say “live a little”.

Once she took a bite Regina had to agree because this was easily the best cheeseburger she’s eaten in a long time and she couldn’t deny that the taste was simply amazing.  
They ate their burgers in comfortable silence and Regina decided that she would take the chance and try to make things right with Ruby, whatever that meant.  
And once she saw the brunette walk out of the diner for what looked like a break she asked her son if it would be okay if she went to talk to Ruby for a moment.  
Henry simply nodded and told her he would order himself some dessert in the meantime. Usually she wouldn’t approve, but clearly Henry had outsmarted her once again because she wasn’t really in a position to say no, now was she?

So she let him study the menu once again, headed outside and found Ruby right around the corner, leaning against the wall, eyes closed.

“You look tired”, Regina stated, the concern in her voice unmistakable.  
Ruby’s eyes snapped open and for a moment Regina feared that the bartender would put up a fight, but apparently she was too exhausted because Ruby’s shoulders slumped in defeat, “What do you want, Regina?”

“I…I’m sorry. I had no right to say what I said and I didn’t mean to offend you. I just wanted to apologise. It was so nice of you to get up so early and buy me coffee. I really did appreciate it and I wanted you to know that.”  
Regina was so incredibly nervous and it only got worse when Ruby didn’t say anything, “I’ve been looking for you all week, you know. I came to the park every day during my lunch break hoping to catch you in case you went running. I’ve been to the bar Friday and Saturday as well, but you weren’t there…I really am sorry.”

“It’s alright. I get why people would get that idea…that I take home another girl every day. I’m not, though. Just because I’m flirty doesn’t mean I’m a slut”, Ruby simply stated, her voice calm.

Regina cleared her throat, “I know. I shouldn’t have assumed that. I’m sorry.”

“You’ve said that already”, Ruby took a deep breath, “So, that’s your son then?”

A smile spread on Regina's face instantly, “Yes, that’s Henry.”

“He’s older than I thought.”

“Emma was already pregnant when we met”, Regina explained, still smiling.

“I see. He seems to be a great kid”, Ruby smiled as well and for the first time it felt like things would be okay.

“He is. He’s everything.”

The younger brunette nodded in understanding, “Granny fell Monday morning and broke her ankle. She had surgery and is still in hospital. I had no time for running and the girls are working the bar by themselves till she is back ‘cause one of diner’s waitresses quit recently, another one is on vacay and Ashley can’t run the diner by herself on her shift. So I’m helping out.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. I hope your grandmother recovers quickly”, Regina recognised the worry in Ruby’s eyes, but decided not to comment on it.

“Yeah, me too. Anyway…it was nice talking to you, but I really have to go back inside and help Ashley.”

“Of course.”

\-------------

Henry was almost done with his ice cream by the time they went back inside and Regina couldn’t stop herself from chuckling. He really was Emma’s kid, especially when it came to eating.

Obviously it was time for Ashley’s break when they made it over to the counter to pay their bill because the blonde was nowhere to be seen.  
Henry hopped onto a bar stool and eyed Ruby curiously while she typed numbers into the register and Regina handed her a few bills shortly after.

“You’re probably busy, but there’s adoption day at the shelter next Saturday. In case you wanted to come”, Ruby said all of a sudden and Regina’s eyes grew wide in horror. A pet was the last thing she needed.

“Mom, please…can we go?” Henry sounded so excited and Regina knew it was a lost cause.  
She sighed, but nodded, “But we are not getting a dog or anything…just so we are clear.”

“Fiiiiine.”   
Henry rolled his eyes dramatically and Ruby had to laugh, “No worries. You don’t have to adopt an animal. But there’s cake and puppy cuddling. It’s usually a lot of fun.”

Regina nodded, “Very well.”

“Great”, Ruby smiled this wolfish smile that Regina was so fascinated by, “Give me a call somewhen next week and I’ll give you the details.”  
She handed a confused Regina the sales slip and turned to Henry, “It was nice meeting you, buddy. I guess I’ll see you next Saturday then.”

“Sure thing”, Henry answered and high-fived Ruby.

Regina was staring at the piece of paper in her hand that had a phone number written on it. She was confused to say the least.   
What did that mean?  
And what did Ruby want from her?

“Night, Ruby.”

Henry’s voice had her out of her thoughts in a heartbeat and she met the younger brunette’s eyes for a second, “Good night, Ruby.”

“Night, Regina.”

\-------------

She had barely made it out of her parking spot when she felt Henry’s eyes on her, “I’m glad you made a new friend, mom.”

“Henry, Ruby and I aren’t friends. We barely know each other.”

“Then why did she invite us to that thing at the shelter? That’s what friends do”, he countered and she couldn’t argue with that logic.

Friends. Could they really be friends?  
Regina wasn’t sure, but she was willing to find out.


	5. Nash

**R** egina had texted Ruby two days later because she wasn’t sure about the brunette’s recent schedule and she didn’t want to wake or disturb her.  
She had received a reply only minutes later with an address and the information that they should be there around 2 pm. Only seconds after that she had received another text from Ruby that said she was looking forward to seeing them.

Regina still wasn’t sure what to think of the whole situation, but she was too busy with work to get a chance to overthink it.

Wednesday evening Kathryn came over for dinner and while they enjoyed her lasagna the blonde asked Henry if he would want to go to the zoo on Saturday. Regina realised a second too late what was happening and before she could stop him Henry explained proudly that they already had plans.

“We are going to the shelter. It’s adoption day and Ruby invited us.”

Kathryn seemed to be confused at first, but then it must have dawned on her because her eyes went wide, “Ruby? Ruby from the bar? Regina, is there something you want to tell me?”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

Henry watched the conversation curiously. His instincts hadn’t betrayed him - there was more to Ruby than his mother had let on.

\-------------

Kathryn had shown up at her house the next day again, bombarding her with questions while Henry was at soccer practice, but Regina hadn’t given anything away - except that they had landed in the diner of Ruby’s grandmother by accident the other day and that she had invited them to the shelter, probably to get some more donations.

That had to be the reason anyway because no matter what Henry had said - they weren’t friends. They had barely talked to one another and even that had led to disaster.  
And Regina suspected that Ruby had invited her as some sort of payback for what she had said in the park that fateful morning, so she would be sure to bring a check because although she had apologised she felt guilty still.

The rest of the week had gone by faster than expected and now Regina was standing in front of her wardrobe, discussing what to wear.  
She didn’t want to overdress, but deep down she wanted to make a bit of an impression on Ruby although she would never admit that. Not even to herself.  
In the end she decided on her favourite pair of black jeans, a white blouse and her favourite dark red heels, which matched with her lipstick perfectly.

Henry bounced in the car the whole drive, too excited for his own good, and it only added to Regina’s own nervousness.  
She felt a bit like a fish out of water.  
Would it be awkward to spend time with Ruby? Especially since Regina was sure a lot of the bartender’s friends had to be there and support the cause and she dreaded it. Ruby would be surrounded by all these young and pretty girls and she wasn’t sure where that would leave her and Henry.  
It had been a stupid idea to begin with. Unfortunately, it was too late to turn around because right that moment the building of the shelter appeared in front of them and Henry almost jumped out of the still running car.

As if he was sensing how tense she was he grabbed her hand as soon as the car was parked and he tried to calm her down on the way to the entrance, “It’s going to be okay, mom. Don’t worry.”

\-------------

Entering the building with caution Regina looked around just to catch sight of a petite brunette with a pixie cut who gave them a smile immediately, “Welcome to adoption day! I’m Mary Margaret…my fiancé David runs this place.”

“Hi, I’m Henry…and this is my mom”, her son stated before Regina could so much as blink. That woman was way too perky for her taste.  
Henry didn’t seem to realize her discomfort because he kept talking, “We are here to see Ruby.”

“Oh, yes…of course. She mentioned inviting a friend and her son”, Mary Margaret answered and pointed to a door that had to lead outside, “She’s out in the yard, playing with Nash. Just walk through the door and straight ahead.”  
So Ruby had addressed her as a friend?  
Well, it was only logical. What else could she have said that wouldn’t have sounded suspicious in some way?

Henry stormed out of the door immediately, Regina following right after him, only to catch sight of Ruby, who was playing with a greyish dog with a massive head in a fenced in area.

“Ruby!” Henry all, but shouted, which got him the attention not only of the leggy brunette, but also of the dog that stormed right at him only a second later.

“Come on in…Nash is harmless”, Ruby assured the boy, but Regina wasn’t convinced. Obviously, the dog was a Pitbull and she had read one too many horror stories about the breed, “I’d be more comfortable if we could stay out here.”

Ruby came closer and tilted her head, all the while smiling in amusement, “Are you saying you are scared of my dog?”

“That…that is your dog?”, Regina’s eyes went wide in disbelief.

The younger brunette was already at the gate and opened it for Henry, who entered the yar before she could have stopped him and Regina did follow after him at last, hesitant at best.

“Yep. He’s my buddy. David found him in an abandoned house with his siblings, only a few weeks old. I took him home as soon as he was ready to leave and he’s been with me ever since. That was over a year ago and total love at first sight…right, my boy?”, Ruby said and watched her dog who sniffed Henry curiously.

It did only take a moment before he returned to her side, licking her hand in agreement and Ruby smiled while she petted his head, “That’s my boy.”

“Did you name him Nash?”, Henry wanted to know and Ruby nodded, “Yes. He’s named after my favourite city…Nashville.”

“I think it suits him. What kind of dog is he?”, Henry seemed to be as fascinated by the dog as his mother was by the dog’s owner, but no one paid any attention to Regina at that moment.  
Ruby focused on Henry and her dog, “He’s a blue Pitbull. I know their reputation is really bad, but they are amazing dogs if you raise them right. No dog is a monster, usually the problem is on the other end of the leash.”

Henry nodded in understanding, “I think Nash is awesome. And I totally get that with the bad reputation. People always say Aunt Mal is a dragon, but that’s only ‘cause they don’t know her. Not like I do anyway.”

Regina barked out a laugh at her son’s comment because he would be in so much trouble if Mal would ever hear about this, but Henry was right, of course.  
Mal had a very soft spot, but people hardly ever got to see that if they weren’t really close friends.

Ruby grabbed a ball and talked to Henry, explaining something to him, when Regina felt something cold on her hand. Once she looked down she stared into Nash’s bluish grey eyes and her heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t scared per se, but wary and she had no idea what to do.  
Before she knew it the dog was licking her hand and she felt relieved. He had done that with Ruby too and he clearly liked the bartender.  
So far, so good.

When Henry threw the ball Nash shot forward, chasing after it like the devil himself and Regina watched in awe how well trained the dog seemed to be when he immediately returned the ball to her son’s waiting hand.

Ruby appeared right next to her once she had made sure that Henry and Nash would get along, “Hello Regina…thanks for coming! It means a lot. You look great by the way.”

“Thank you.”  
It was only then that Regina took Ruby in and realised that she wasn’t wearing one of her daring and slightly “slutty” outfits from the bar, but a pair of jeans, boots and a red flannel shirt, “You look…different, but it suits you.”

“Well, can’t wear my bar clothes when I’m spending half of the day rolling in the mud”, Ruby winked and Regina chuckled. Not that there would be much that could get dirty if Ruby wore her shorts or something of the like.

“Henry is good with dogs”, Ruby observed and Regina nodded, “He wanted a dog since forever, but with him going back and forth between my home and Emma’s, I don’t know how it could work. And I think the pirate is allergic to dogs anyway.”

“The pirate?”, Ruby looked at her in amusement.

“Emma’s boyfriend. He is a fisherman”, Regina explained and waited for a stupid comment about how disgusting it was that her former partner obviously was dating a man now and how that was a disgrace to the Lesbian community.

“I see. Well, no dog for Henry then I suppose”, was Ruby’s only answer and it surprised Regina to say the least.

It had not bothered her that Emma had started dating Killian, but some of their friends hadn’t been so understanding and it had ended with a big fight. Regina had never seen the problem because she had always known that Emma was bisexual and she hadn’t cared about it in all the years they had been together, but obviously some of the people who screamed for tolerance the loudest were pretty ignorant themselves.  
Emma had appreciated her support greatly, but it had cost them a few of their friends because they hadn’t understood why Regina wasn’t enraged about the fact that Emma had “replaced” her with a man.  
The truth was that Regina was happy for Emma that she had found love again. They had broken up on friendly terms because while they loved each other, they weren’t in love anymore. They hadn’t been for a while and they had grown tired of pretending at some point. There had been no drama and she had never understood why some of the people they had called friends for years had tried to make it into one.

“I think it’s great that you and your ex managed to stay friends. And that you are okay with her dating again. I can tell Henry is a pretty happy kid. Not many children have that luxury anymore, especially not the ones where the parents are separated”, Ruby stated all of a sudden, surprising Regina once again.

“Henry will always be our priority. And we’ll always be a family because of him. But you are right…I’m glad that things have worked out so well for all of us.”

\-------------

Their afternoon at the shelter turned out to be a lot of fun.  
Henry never left Nash’s side and he was allowed to take care of him while Ruby walked potential adopters through the kennels. Regina did donate the check about 500 $ she had brought by secretly putting it into the donation box and she felt great about it. Not because it made her feel less guilty about how she had treated Ruby that one morning, but because she could see how much work and love people put into the shelter and rescuing animals in need.

She wondered why none of Ruby’s friends from the bar had shown up, but decided not to ask. It was none of her business anyway.

“Hey, I need to get back to the diner…Granny is out of the hospital, but she isn’t able to work yet with her ankle and all. So yeah”, Ruby announced awkwardly.

“I’m starving. Can we go and have burgers at the diner again?”, Henry looked at his mother with his puppy eyes, knowing his mother wouldn’t be able to say no.  
Regina rolled her eyes, but nodded, “Fine. But we are not making eating burgers into a tradition. Emma lets you eat enough chunk as it is.”

“Great. I’ll see you at the diner then. I just have to bring Nash home before that”, Ruby smiled.

Henry said goodbye to his new four legged friend and Regina bent down to pet Nash’s head as well when the dog took the opportunity to lick over her cheek. 

“Well, I'd say he likes you”, Ruby stated matter of factly and petted her dog’s head proudly.  
Regina didn’t know why, but it felt significant to her that she obviously had Nash’s approval. What for she didn’t know.

\-------------

When they arrived at the diner Ruby was already there and Regina’s confusion must have shown on her face because the brunette chuckled, “We’re living upstairs. Granny owns the building.”

“Oh.”

“So, what can I get you two?”

Henry placed the same order as the week before and Regina didn’t even bother to argue because those cheeseburgers had been delicious and she had decided that she could indulge herself once in a while.

Ruby seemed to be working alone that night because she barely managed to catch up with customers and orders, so Regina and Henry didn’t see much of her, but Regina felt content as it was while her son kept talking about how awesome Nash was.

Once they were ready to pay and leave Ruby came to their table with a book about Pitbulls in hand, offering it to Henry, “In case you want to know more about Nash’s breed.”  
He grabbed it eagerly and started reading right away, “Thanks, Ruby.”

“You’re welcome, buddy. Dinner is on me”, the waitress announced and Regina shook her head, “I can’t accept that.”

Ruby bumped her shoulder and added playfully, “Sure you can, Miss Mills. Thanks for coming today. And for your donation. You didn’t have to.”

Regina felt caught and blushed. Of course Ruby had found out. “I wanted to. Thanks for dinner then.”

“Maybe I can come visit Nash sometime when I’m with my mom again?”, Henry asked hopefully all of a sudden.

“Sure thing. Anytime. Just have your mom text me and we can go to the park together”, Ruby agreed all too quickly and Regina wondered why the brunette seemed so eager to see them again, but she would worry about that later.

\-------------

Once Henry went to bed and Regina was by herself the thoughts from earlier came back.  
What was going on and why did Ruby seem to try so hard to keep in touch with her?  
It made no sense, they didn’t know each other.  
She knew she would drive herself crazy if she didn’t get answers sooner or later so she grabbed her phone and sent Ruby a message.

**Regina: Thanks for being so patient and answering all of Henry’s questions today, Ruby. Care to answer one of mine?**

Her heart hammered in her chest when she hit send. Regina didn’t expect an answer right away and was all the more surprised when it came within a minute.

**Ruby: It was my pleasure, Regina. And sure, ask away...**

**Regina: Why did you invite us? We are basically strangers.**

This time it took a bit longer for Ruby to reply and Regina grew anxious while she waited, still trying to make sense of the situation.

**Ruby: I wanted you to meet Nash. I always have him check out the new people in my life.**

The answer surprised Regina more than anything else that had happened that day, but she decided to keep the conversation going. She had asked for answers, so there was no backing out of this now.

**Regina: The new people in your life? I wasn’t aware that you were planning on sticking around.**

**Ruby: I wasn’t sure if I should. That’s why I wanted you to meet my dog. I trust his judgement.**

Regina felt dizzy. 

**Regina: And what, may I ask, has Nash to say about the situation?**

She held her breath while she waited for a response and only realised it when the answer finally came and her heart skipped a beat.

**Ruby: He said that we should have dinner together sometime.**  
**Ruby: Only if you want to of course.**


	6. Friends

**D** id she want to?  
And if so what would it mean?  
What did she want it to mean?  
Could it mean anything to begin with?

Before she could talk herself out of it Regina typed a reply.

**Regina: Dinner would be fine I suppose.**

**Ruby: Great! How about Wednesday?**

**Regina: Wednesday would be great. Since you are so busy at the diner I could cook you dinner?**

Regina only recognised how bold a move her suggestion was when the message was already sent. Well, too late to take it back now.  
When there was no immediate response however she felt like she had made a mistake. First, she had practically accused Ruby of sleeping around and now she had invited her home for their first…whatever it was.  
Gosh, she was so stupid.  
But then a beep notified her of a new message and it made Regina’s heart jump once more.

**Ruby: Sorry, had a customer. As for you cooking me dinner - I’d love that. Are you sure?**

Regina thought about it for a moment, but to her own surprise, she was sure. Ruby had told that Mary Margaret person that they were friends. Maybe they really could be. So she would cook Ruby dinner for a start.

**Regina: Positive. Do you think you can manage to be here at seven?**

**Ruby: Absolutely. See you on Wednesday then :)**

Regina sent one more text after that, containing her address and went to bed with the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. Of course, she wouldn’t admit that to anyone.

\-------------

Wednesday came faster than anticipated because Regina had been so busy with work that time had flown by and while she had been relatively calm the last three days now that she was preparing her famous lasagna she was all nerves.  
So much so that she almost forgot to add cheese to the dish before she put it in the oven.

She had debated over an hour what to wear because she didn’t want to give Ruby the wrong impression, but she didn’t want to open the door in yoga pants and a sweatshirt either.  
Her initial idea had been to wear her favourite black dress because she was comfortable in it and it gave her confidence, but as soon as she had put it on it had felt way too date-like and she had decided against it.

In the end she had put on black dress pants and a burgundy blouse and black heels, considering that Ruby was quite a bit taller than her.  
She usually hated wearing shoes in her apartment, but she would not run around in socks or bare foot. It was against her principels when she received guests unless it were close friends.

At seven sharp the door bell rang and Regina hummed in appreciation of the fact that Ruby was actually punctual. She took a deep breath, her hands slightly shaky, and headed for the door. She managed to pull it open in one swift motion, her features schooled and her nervousness masked to the best of her abilities.

Ruby stood there, smiling, a cup from the diner in hand, escorted by none other, but her dog Nash.

Regina was a bit startled to see the dog because she had not expected Ruby to bring him along, but the tail wagging animal put a smile on her face and made her feel at ease which she was grateful for, so she petted his head in a welcoming gesture, “Well, come on in, you two.”

Ruby eyed her closely, “I hope it’s okay that I brought him along, but with the long hours I’m currently working I felt bad leaving him at home.”

“It’s fine. Please, come in. Dinner should be ready in a few.”

“It certainly smells delicious already”, the younger brunette praised, her smile growing.

She stepped aside, allowing Ruby and her dog to enter her apartment, her world, and led them into the living room where the table was already set.

“Make yourself at home…I’ll be right back.”  
Regina was already halfway out of the room when she stopped, “Oh, right…do you want wine?”

“Sure”, Ruby commented and took a few steps towards her host, “Before I forget…I brought you something.”  
She held out the cup and Regina looked at her in confusion, which caused Ruby to shrug with a smile, “It’s just a chocolate milkshake.”

Regina was so touched by the gesture that she couldn’t stop herself from smiling as well, “Thank you. I appreciate it a lot.”  
She took the cup and carried it to the kitchen, only to come back with a bottle of wine a minute later, “I hope you like red?”

Ruby, meanwhile sitting on the couch with Nash sitting by her feet, looked at her and nodded enthusiastically, “Red is my favourite. In everything.”

She thought about her burgundy blouse and blushed slightly, but then she looked at Ruby, who was wearing jeans and a red top plus red lipstick herself and chuckled, “I can see that. The more I think about it…I’ve never seen you wearing an outfit that had no red in it.”

“See”, Ruby stated matter of factly and Regina laughed.

\-------------

Ruby had offered to pour them each a glass of wine to let it breathe for a moment while Regina went back to the kitchen to put the last touches to the dinner she had prepared.

When she felt eyes on her while she took the lasagna out of the oven she expected it to be Ruby, but of course it was Nash standing in the door way, looking at her with his head tilted, curiosity shining in his eyes.

“Hello Mister, can I help you?”, she asked playfully and it seemed the dog had only waited to be addressed because he shot forward instantly, almost tackling Regina in the process, jumping and licking her hands in excitement.  
She could not stop herself from laughing and that was the moment Ruby chose to appear in the kitchen as well, “I’m so sorry. He’s usually behaving way better, but he seems to be crazy about you for some reason.”

“Well, maybe I should get a dog after all then. Henry would be thrilled”, Regina joked which caused Ruby to laugh as well, “Yeah, the kid sure would love that.”

\-------------

A few minutes later they were sitting at the table, enjoying their lasagna over a conversation about Regina’s job as an interior designer.  
Ruby seemed to be interested in it enough to pay attention to what she was telling her and joked that Regina would probably get a heart attack if she ever saw her place.

There was a lot of laughing after that until Regina asked about the bar and how Ruby’s grandmother had made the decision to open up a gay bar in the first place.  
Ruby cleared her throat twice, obviously not all that comfortable with the topic of discussion.

“You don’t have to tell me”, Regina cut in, but the younger brunette waved her off, “No, it’s alright. My grandmother was born in Ontario, but when she met my grandfather she came to the States about 50 years ago. The building that holds the diner, it had been in the possession of my grandfather’s family for some generations already. They got married and opened up the diner about 3 years after my grandmother moved here. My grandfather died a couple of years later and my grandmother had to raise my mother, who was just a baby then, by herself. Anita, my mother, got pregnant at the age of 16. She left when I was only a few months old and never came back. Granny raised me by herself.”

“I’m so sorry, Ruby.”  
Regina couldn’t even begin to imagine how unwanted Ruby must have felt during her childhood, maybe even to this day.

“It’s okay. It’s her loss, not mine. I can’t even remember her. Anyway…I’ve known that I was gay pretty early on and I got bullied in school a lot. It was a very difficult time and back in the day there weren’t a lot of bars or locations to go to where you could be safe from the homophobic mob and that’s why Granny opened _The Rabbit Hole_. It was her way of supporting me and creating an environment that would keep me safe.”

“That’s great. Your grandmother sounds like an amazing person”, Regina smiled warmly.

“I owe her everything. She’s the best. And in case Henry can convince you to come to the diner again one of these days I’m sure you’re going to meet her there. She’d like you. She’s always appreciated strong and independent women.”

Regina blushed at the compliment and looked into her wine glass, “My mother disowned me when she found out that I am gay. Threw me out of the house and we haven’t spoken ever since.”

“That’s horrible.”

She had expected pity, but was met with nothing, but compassion from Ruby. Another surprise.

“Well, she always preferred my sister Zelena over me anyway. It’s not a big deal. I met Emma because of that and that gave me my son. So it could have been a lot worse.”

Ruby nodded, “You mentioned that you met Emma when she was already pregnant?”

Regina took a deep breath. That was a lot of heavy talk for a first da…dinner, but what was the point in hiding the past? There was none.  
“Yeah, it was shortly after my mother had thrown me out. I was sick of crashing at Kathryn’s or Mal’s place and was looking into apartments I could afford without any access to my allowance. I had only finished university and started my first job so I had no savings and, well, my options were pretty limited so I decided to look for a roommate. That’s how I met Emma, four and a half months pregnant bounty hunter Emma Swan, who had just dumped her boyfriend Neal because he hadn’t felt ready for that kind of commitment.”

“Asshole.”  
Ruby’s tone was almost a growl.

“He was indeed. Anyway. We moved in together and fell in love and by the time Henry was born we were ready to be a little family of our own. Money was tight for a while, but it got better the more new clients I attracted with my work. We were together for almost eleven years, but at some point we couldn’t ignore the fact that we weren’t in love with each other anymore any longer. We fought so much because we were frustrated and tried to keep up appearances, but we couldn’t avoid the decision forever. So we broke up about two years ago and managed to save our friendship. Emma and I…we’ll always be important to one another, but not in a romantic way. We’ve been through so much together. While I can’t and don’t want to be with her anymore, I can’t imagine life without her…or Henry.”

“I completely understand that. And Emma is dating again now?”, Ruby asked curiously.

“Yes. She met Killian a couple of months ago. She was working a case, as I said, bounty hunter. She found him unconscious at the docs. Apparently, he had one too many drinks at the bachelor party of one of his friends and fell over a rope on his way back to his ship, hit his head…”

The younger brunette laughed out loud, “He sounds like a total dork.”

“He is. But he cares about Emma and he is good with Henry. I mean we aren’t best friends, but we get along”, Regina explained and took a sip of her wine.

“I think it’s great that you are so open about Emma dating again, especially a guy. I’ve met so many people being very reserved when it comes to people being bisexual.”

She sighed at that, “Don’t get me started. A lot of our friends made enough of a fuss about it. They felt Emma was betraying the community and everything blew up when I didn’t take their side. They expected me to hate Emma for falling in love with a guy. As if it would matter if she would be with a man or a woman. She can be with whoever she wants to be. I want her to be happy and with someone who treats her right…and who treats Henry right. The end.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. I don’t know why people are so ignorant. They are all about acceptance and tolerance and yet they aren’t all that accepting and tolerant themselves. For what it’s worth…I think your little patchwork family is awesome”, Ruby stated and took a sip of her own wine as well.

“Thank you. What about you? Any mention-worthy relationships?”, Regina felt brave enough to ask now.

“Just one. I met Mulan when I was in my junior year in college. We were inseparable for the time being and I really thought we could have a future together till I found out in our senior year that she was cheating on me with the girl she had had a crush on even before we’ve met. I haven’t dated anyone since”, Ruby admitted and poured herself some more wine, “I think I’m too picky. And not good at trusting people. Nobody has struck my interest so far.”

“I’m sorry, Ruby.”  
And she was. Why would anyone cheat on Ruby? She was gorgeous and smart and funny and not at all who Regina had thought she would be in the beginning.

“You know”, Ruby began absentmindedly, “A lot of people think I’m taking home another girl every day and that I’m constantly partying and drinking, but none of it is true actually. I do drink with some of my friends sometimes, yes, but most of the time I pour myself vodka shots from my very own bottle that actually holds nothing, but water. I couldn’t run the bar if I were to be drunk every night. And yes, I do love to flirt. It’s fun and it makes work easier and more enjoyable, but the times I took someone home I can count on one hand.”

Yep, she had completely misjudged Ruby. And that brought a new wave of guilt, “I know I’ve said it before, but I’m really terribly sorry for what I implied in the park that morning. I’m just not used to people being interested in getting to know me and I freaked there for a second.”

Ruby nodded, “No worries, I get that. I understood as soon as I thought about it. Must feel weird to be “stalked” by some bartender who openly flirts with about anyone. But I swear my intentions were, and are good. I just want to get to know you.”

“And why is that?”, Regina inquired, her heart hammering in her chest once more that day.

“Well, obviously because my dog loves you”, Ruby stated and laughed, “Where is Nash anyway?”  
She turned around to catch her dog sleeping soundly on Regina’s couch, “He’s unbelievable. Usually, it takes him some time to get comfortable at a new place.”

“He better be comfortable ‘cause that couch cost me a fortune”, Regina joked and watched Nash in awe. She wasn’t too fond of dogs for the most part, but somehow Ruby’s greyish little creature had wormed his way into her heart instantly. Henry would be thrilled.

“Honestly though…I remember the first day you came to the bar with your friends and you looked as if you were on the way to your execution….I found it adorable.”

Regina groaned in embarrassment, “You know how exhausting it is when your two straight friends drag you from gay bar to gay bar ‘cause they think they know what’s best for you and they constantly try to hook you up with someone?”

“I can only imagine. Tink, the little blonde that works at the bar with me…we’ve been friends since high school. She tried to get me back to dating a few times, but she gave up eventually. Mary Margaret though, she’s going on and on about true love and all that crap. It’s gotten worse since David proposed.”

“Have you been friends for long?”

“Who? Mary Margaret and I?”, Ruby wanted to know and when Regina only nodded she continued, “Yes. I’ve known her all my life. They lived only two houses down the road when we were children. She’s stood by me through everything, she always had my back. She’s a great friend, my best friend. She’s a little too excited and too perky at times, but then again…her positive attitude has kept me going when everything seemed so dark…so I can’t really complain.”

Regina didn’t know what to say so she only nodded again before she added, “It’s the same with Kathryn and Mal. I thought I’d never hear from them again once my mother threw me out ‘cause, well, you know…they grew up pretty privileged. Our families are quite wealthy. So, of course, I expected for them to ignore me once I was broke more or less, but they’ve never abandoned me. They helped me out so many times, they’ve been great friends all my life. Mal is a little rough around the edges, but she’s a good person.”

“It’s good to have friends who support you, whom you can trust and rely on”, Ruby said and raised her glass, “To friendship.”

Regina clinked glasses with her with a smile on her face, “To friendship.”  
So apparently there was a chance for them to be friends and she liked the idea a lot.

“I have a question for you, actually. Henry’s birthday is next month…October 22 to be precise. Do you think your grandmother would mind if we would throw him a little party at the diner?” Regina asked all of a sudden and Ruby smiled, “Not a problem. At all. Just text me the details and we’ll set something up for him.”

“Thank you.”

“When is your birthday by the way?”, Ruby wanted to know and Regina wasn’t sure if telling her was a smart idea. Once Ruby heard how old she was she would probably get up and leave. Then again she could find out from Kathryn or Mal whenever they went back to _The Rabbit Hole_ because she knew her friends would sell her out if they so much as suspected that Ruby could have any interest in her at all.

“February, the first. I’m turning thirty…seven”, she admitted hesitantly, but Ruby only smiled, “You look fabulous in case you were wondering. And age is nothing, but a number. Don’t worry about it.”

“When is yours…I know it’s been not too long ago.”

“September 12…turned 25”, Ruby answered with a knowing smirk.

“Oh my!”, Regina sighed, “Still so young.”

“Oh come on now, Regina…you aren’t that old.”

“Compared to you I am.”

Ruby looked her right in the eye before she asked her next question, “Does it really bother you that much?”

Regina swallowed hard at the intensity of Ruby’s gaze, “Doesn’t it bother you?”

“Not at all.”  
And there was nothing, but sincerity in Ruby’s voice and eyes and it startled Regina so much that she had to look away.

“Regina, I don’t know why this is such a big deal for you. All I want to do is get to know you. You don’t have to date me or anything. I just want to spend time with you and Henry if you’ll allow it because it feels good to hang out with you. There’s no pressure or expectations or anything.”

“Okay.”

\-------------

Ruby said goodbye a few minutes later because it had gotten late and they both had work the next day. Regina felt some sense of loss once Ruby and Nash had left and she went to put the leftovers away.  
Ruby had told her, repeatedly, that dinner had been overly delicious while she had been standing at the door and she had been relieved because Regina was silently looking forward to having dinner with Ruby again. She only had to find the courage to invite her next time.  
She had told Ruby that she would most likely come by for a drink at _The Rabbit Hole_ on Friday after the bartender had mentioned that she would be there. 

Once she had wrapped up the remaining pie she put it in the fridge and caught sight of the milkshake Ruby had brought along and she had to smile while she took a sip.  
Ruby might not be the one, but she definitely was someone she intended to keep around.  
If they would end up being nothing, but friends she would be perfectly okay with it.


	7. Busted

**R** uby smiled and put three cocktail glasses in front of the surprised trio, “Ladies. Regina…”

They had just arrived and barely taken their seats at “their” table when Ruby appeared with drinks and Kathryn and Mal looked back and forth between Regina and the bartender curiously.  
Ruby winked at her and went back to the bar and Regina closed her eyes and sighed.   
The inquisition was coming, she could feel it.

“Now what was that?”, Mal asked and watched her closely.

“No idea”, Regina shrugged and tried to play it off.

Mal barked out a laugh, “Still think you can fool me, Regina? Last time we were here you almost fainted at the suggestion of buying her a drink and now you have them delivered to the table without even ordering. What’s going on?”

“There is nothing going on”, Regina grit through her teeth in annoyance.

“I assume your trip to the shelter was nice then? Is that why you never returned my calls?”, Kathryn piped in.

Regina buried her face in her hands, “No! You were on a business trip in New York, remember? Different time zones. You called in the middle of the night!”

“Oh, sorry”, Kathryn had the good sense to at least look guilty, but of course Mal had caught up on the shelter thing as well.

“Shelter trip? What shelter? Someone care to enlighten me?” 

Regina sighed, but knew avoiding the topic wouldn’t end well for her. Mal would probably embarrass her in front of Ruby to get information, or worse, would go to the bartender and outright ask her what was going on and she couldn’t have that. So she caved, “Henry and I wanted to go for a milkshake and a burger on Sunday…two weeks ago. But the place we usually frequent was closed due to renovation. We ended up driving around and found this little diner which happens to belong to Ruby’s grandmother, who was in the hospital at the time. So Ruby was there helping out and she invited us for adoption day at the shelter last weekend. No big deal.”  
She had left out how they had bumped into each other while jogging and the debacle that had followed after that on purpose. Kathryn and Mal were onto her enough as it was.

“No big deal?”, Mal openly glared at her, “That piece of hot ass invited you and your son I might add…to some social activity and you say it’s no big deal? Jesus Regina! It’s a pretty big deal.”

She felt how she got more and more defensive, “Why? Why has it to be a big deal? Is it so hard to believe someone other than you could invite me to do something?”

Kathryn put her hand over Regina’s and squeezed it reassuringly, “Of course not, sweetheart. You know we love you and we want you to be happy. I think this just comes as a surprise ‘cause you were so adamant about the fact that you wouldn’t go for her for obvious reasons.”  
They looked over to the bar and saw Ruby flirting with the other bar tender. 

“That’s just her friend Tink”, Regina stated matter-of-factly, which earned her even more confused looks from her own friends, “What? Think we just stood next to each other at the shelter without saying a word after she invited us?”

Mal studied Regina for a while, “So, you are telling me that you talked about her flirting habits during adoption day at the shelter while Henry was around? You would never discuss anything like that in front of your son and we both know it!”

“Would you drop it already? We are in public, don't make a scene. If there were something to tell, I’d tell you, but certainly not here”, Regina hissed and Mal finally dropped it because she was aware if she pushed any harder now Regina would get up and leave.

She took a sip of her drink before she stated, “So, I might be in love…”

Kathryn and Regina chuckled at that, “With what? Your look in the mirror?”

“That too. But that’s beside the point. I met this hot guy at the gallery last week. Upcoming artist. Did I mention hot? And sinfully young.”

Kathryn’s eyes went wide in horror, “Please tell me he’s at least…”

“Relax, relax”, Mal stated, “He’s 22. It’s all good and well and legal.”

“Mal! You could be his mother! You’re turning forty t…”, Kathryn looked scandalised.

“Shut up, will you! No one needs to know how old I am!”, Mal growled and Regina sighed helplessly. She should have come alone, but of course, her friends had snuck up on her, determined to drag her to some club, but she had told them either they would go to _The Rabbit Hole_ or nowhere at all so they had given in after a short discussion.

“What’s his name?”, she asked to distract her friends, fearing that the situation would escalate otherwise.

Mal smiled one of her trademark devilish smiles, which could only mean that she was up to something, “Will Scarlet.”

Kathryn closed her eyes and sighed, “Please tell me you’re only kidding about being in love with a twenty-two-year-old.”

The laughter that escaped Mal’s lips at Kathryn’s desperate comment was dark and dangerous, “Of course I’m not really in love with him. A little infatuated maybe, but if you’d have seen him…you’d understand. I’m not looking for a boyfriend and you know it. A boy toy on the other hand…and it’s not like you’d find love with someone that young. All they want is to enjoy life, party and have sex. Do you really think that someone considers commitment and settling down before thirty these days? The times where people did that are long over. All I want is fun and so does he. Makes us the perfect match.”

Mal’s words hit Regina like a ton of bricks.   
Ruby had no intention of settling down either, right? While Ruby was a lot more careful about whom she let into her life than Regina had thought in the beginning, the bartender had never mentioned that she would want a family or a committed relationship or anything.  
And why did that bother her all that much?  
They were well on the way to becoming friends, nothing more.  
And yet Regina couldn’t ignore the ache in her chest.

“I’ll go freshen up, I’ll be right back.”  
That said Regina jumped up and fled to the restrooms where she splashed some cold water on her face.  
She really needed to get a grip because things were clearly getting out of hand.

\-------------

On her way back to the table Ruby grabbed her arm from behind the bar and pulled her into the corner behind the counter, “Is everything alright? You looked pretty shaken by something your friends must have said.”

Regina was surprised by the concern in Ruby’s voice, but she knew that she couldn’t tell her the truth, “Everything is fine. I just don’t like being interrogated. But you dropping off those delicious drinks surely brought up some questions.”

Ruby’s eyes went wide, “I didn’t embarrass you, did I? That wasn’t my intention. I’m sorry if I made things weird.”

“Don’t worry about it, dear. It was a nice surprise. Actually, I’d like to order another round”, Regina felt sorry for the younger brunette, who clearly hadn’t thought anything of it when she had brought them drinks upon their arrival and she didn’t like the panicked expression in Ruby's usually joyfully sparkling eyes, “These two are just horrible. They always need something to talk and gossip about.”

Ruby’s wolfish grin came into view at the comment and she kissed Regina on the cheek daringly, “Well then…let them talk. Drinks are coming right up.”

\-------------

Regina walked back towards the table robotically, trying to wrap her head around what had transpired only a few seconds ago only to be confronted by the faces of her equally shocked friends, who had witnessed everything.

“Still going with it’s nothing, Mills? I think it’s time to spill”, Mal stated dryly and Regina was still searching for a witty comeback when she felt a hand on her back.  
She turned her head and found none other than Ruby standing next to her, balancing a tray with drinks in the other hand, “Told you drinks would be right there.”

Regina smiled at the playfulness in Ruby’s voice and decided that she didn’t bother all that much that the younger woman was so outgoing, “Thanks, dear. Put it on my tab.”

Ruby nodded, “Of course. Enjoy your drinks, ladies! Regina…”  
She made an attempt to turn around and leave, but stopped herself all of a sudden, leaning closer towards Regina, “Is there anything I can do to persuade you to reschedule your run from tomorrow morning to let’s say…2 pm?”

Regina was startled by the question, especially with Ruby’s lips so close to her ear, but she tried to stay calm because Mal and Kathryn would never let her live it down if she would do something stupid now, “Bring me coffee?”

Ruby’s smile grew even wider, “I can do that.”   
And then she really returned to the bar and left Regina to face another round of interrogation. Only this time there was no escape.


	8. A dream revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hello everyone,_
> 
> _just a little heads-up._   
>  _I'm heading to Austria to see my family for a couple of days and I don't know if I'll be able to update while_   
>  _I'm gone because the internet at home is, well, it's complicated._   
>  _I'll be back by Thursday at the latest, but I'll try to update before that._
> 
> _I'll see you all soon!_   
>  _Take care..._

**K** athryn had almost choked on her drink once Regina had told them the whole story and Mal had surprised her by listening closely, without any interruption.

“So, what are you saying?”, Mal wanted to know once she had finished telling the whole story, “That the two of you will start dating?”

“No”, but Regina’s voice wasn’t too convincing, “I mean we are friends I guess.”

Mal chuckled at that, “You can’t be friends with someone you have the hots for.”

Regina dropped her head, “It’s not like that. You wouldn’t understand, Mal. For you everything is about sex. I actually like her ‘cause there is so much more to her than her looks. Besides…she knows she’s attractive, how could she not? But I really want to get to know her as a person.”

Kathryn watched the situation warily, “Regina, you are aware that you’re playing with fire, right? I mean I think it’s great that you are trying to make new friends, but this sounds a little bit too much like you’re really into her. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Regina looked at her friends, grateful that the music was so loud that they couldn't get overheard by anyone who wasn’t sitting at the table, “I know you mean well and I appreciate it. But believe me, I’m well aware that Ruby isn’t the one for me. The age difference alone. And don’t even get me started on the rest. But I do like her and I’d love to be friends with her. Henry had an instant connection with her and Nash. I’m not going to take that away from him over a stupid little crush. It will pass and everything will be fine.”

Mal snorted, “If you say so. And just for the record…there’s nothing wrong with the age difference in case you decided to have a little fun after all.”

\-------------

Ruby had asked if they were still on for their run the next day once they were ready to leave and Regina reassured her once again that she would be there at 2 pm and Ruby said that they would meet at “their” bench, which had Kathryn watch Regina with worry once again.  
This could easily end in disaster and secretly every single one of them was aware of that.

\-------------

When Regina arrived at the park the next day shortly before 2 pm Ruby was already there, sitting on the bench, two steaming cups of coffee standing next to her.  
She gave Regina an earnest smile and patted the seat next to her, “I wasn’t sure you would come.”

Regina eyed her in confusion, “I said I’d be here, did I not?”

“You did…but then again I thought you might be mad at me for getting you in trouble with your friends”, Ruby admitted and dropped her head, “I’m a little too courageous and daring at times, especially when I’m at work. I’m sorry.”

“Ruby, stop. You didn’t get me in trouble. It’s just…you know how it is when you meet new people. All your friends want a say in it and think they know what’s going on and it can be very annoying”, Regina tried to explain and Ruby actually nodded in understanding, “Tell me about it. When I told Mary Margaret that I invited someone for adoption day she got so excited that she squealed so loud I thought I might go deaf.”

Regina couldn’t stop herself from chuckling, “Is it that rare of an occurrence? That you bring someone along I mean…”

“Actually, it is. I consider Mary Margaret family and I’m not just bringing anyone along”, Ruby admitted and the situation grew serious all of a sudden.

“Why me? Why me and my son?” Regina needed to know what was going on although she was well aware that she probably couldn’t handle the answer.

“I don’t know”, Ruby shrugged helplessly, “I can’t explain it. I just wanted to get to know you ever since you walked into _The Rabbit Hole_ for the first time. But I never really got to talk to you till we bumped into each other here at the park the other week. I thought I better not waste more time after you stumbled into the diner.”

“Alright”, it was all Regina could say because she didn’t understand how a young and beautiful woman like Ruby could be so hell bent on getting to know her of all people.  
Ruby seemed so sure that she was worth it though, it did things to Regina. Things she couldn’t describe with words. No one had put so much faith in her in forever. 

The sound of a cup getting moved pulled Regina out of her thoughts and she caught Ruby’s smile as the younger brunette did indeed shove the coffee cup in her direction. She grabbed it, returned the smile and took a sip, “Thanks.”

\-------------

Once they had finished their coffee they had went for a run through the park in comfortable silence, but definitely enjoying the presence of one another.  
When they returned to the starting point, the bench that had somehow become “theirs”, Ruby let herself fall onto it dramatically, causing Regina to laugh.

“I’m afraid I have to go. I need to check in on Granny and then I have to get ready for work tonight”, the bartender announced with a pout.

“How’s your grandmother anyway?”

“Stubborn as a mule. Doctors said she should rest some more, but she’s working at the diner with her booted leg. Can you believe that? All in all, she is doing well I think”, Ruby stated with a sigh, “I can’t help it, but I think she’s overdoing it. And no matter what I do or say, she won’t listen.”

“You’re worried about her, aren’t you?”   
It was more of a rhetoric question and Regina watched Ruby closely as she decided on how to answer.

When Ruby’s eyes met hers Regina could see the sorrow hidden there, “Yeah, I mean…she fell down the stairs and although Granny keeps saying she slipped Ashley said she didn’t. She says it looked more like Granny collapsed and I don’t know why she wouldn’t tell me the truth. Or the doctors for that matter. Thank God Ashley was there. She saw her fall because she was on her way upstairs, looking after Granny. Apparently, she hadn’t been feeling well that day. I mean she isn’t getting any younger…she’s the only family I have.”

Regina felt so sorry for Ruby because clearly her new friend was hurting and worried sick, “Well, you know how it is. The older people get, the weaker they become. Maybe she’s been overworking herself and fainted or something and she didn’t tell you because she didn’t want to worry you.”

Ruby nodded, “Probably. She’s always tried to protect me. From everything.”

“That’s because she loves you.”

“I know. I love her too. She made me promise that I’d go and pursue my dream when she dies”, Ruby said, her voice low and small, “Because I always wanted to move to Nashville. Ever since I was there for the first time. I just love the city and its flair. The music. Gosh, the music. And the food, the weather. It’s so amazing. This one summer, after our junior year in college, we went on a road trip. Mulan, Mary Margaret, Tink, Aurora and Philipp. Aurora is the one Mulan cheated on me with by the way, but that’s beside the point. So we went on this road trip and landed in Tennessee. Half of the crowd wanted to go to Memphis, but Philipp and I were determined to go to Nashville and somehow we convinced the others and I swear…we had the time of our lives there. That one night we went to some bar, listened to a young guy who wanted to become a country star and who was actually very talented and afterwards we walked through the streets and ended up on Shelby Avenue bridge. I stood there, watching the city lights that were reflected in the water and for the first time, after all the bullying at school, after all the shit with my mother, I felt free. I felt like the world was full of possibilities and I promised myself I’d move to Nashville one day. We sat by the water a lot longer that night, listening to some teenage kids playing guitars and stuff, talking about God and the universe and I knew that’s what I wanted my future to look like.”

Regina’s heart ached for Ruby, but it also hurt to hear that the brunette had plans to leave at some point, “Do you still wanna go?”

Ruby shrugged, “Sometimes. I just don’t want Granny to die. I see things differently now. Not sure if I had the courage to actually leave and start over new. I think only time will tell.”   
She cleared her throat, “Anyway…how is Henry?”

“He’s great actually. Working on a school project, but he wouldn’t tell anyone what it was about. I thought maybe…maybe we could have dinner together again next week. If you wanted to. You could bring Nash too. I think Henry would be ecstatic”, Regina announced, but couldn’t look at Ruby anymore. She felt so insecure when it came to the younger brunette, she couldn’t help it.

“Absolutely. I’d love to. Wednesday?”

Regina nodded, “Wednesday it is. Same time?”

“Sure. Looking forward to it.”

“Me too.”

Ruby left after that, but Regina kept sitting on the bench for a while. She had sworn to herself that she would never introduce new people to Henry as long as she hadn’t figured things out for herself and yet here she was, making plans with Ruby time and time again, not sure why it didn’t bother her that the bartender had simply stumbled into her life like she had always belonged there.  
Maybe because it felt so right and yet Regina remained certain that Ruby wouldn’t be around for long, especially if the opportunity to leave would arise.  
And the mere thought cut through her like a knife.


	9. Not a clue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I'm back, I'm back. Sorry for the delay. Life has a tendency to mess up my plans *sigh*_

**R** egina had thought about going to _The Rabbit Hole_ for a moment in the late afternoon, but had decided against it in the end.  
She needed a little time to herself, needed time to breathe.

And then there was Henry’s upcoming birthday and she hadn’t even started planning yet. Emma wanted to discuss the details tomorrow when she would drop Henry off and Regina realised she had to get that done before she could take the time to clear her head and bring order to the chaos that was her thoughts and feelings.

She called Kathryn for help because the blonde was Henry godmother, so she might as well help her deal with this mess.

\-------------

Having Kathryn at her place turned out to be a very smart move because not only were they done remotely fast, but Kathryn had also brought wine.  
The good stuff too.

Now that they were sitting on the couch, each a glass of wine in hand, Regina couldn’t stay silent any longer, “Do you think it’s a mistake? Me being friends with Ruby I mean. I probably shouldn’t have brought Henry into this…he seems to really like her. And that dog.”

“Well, it’s too late now anyway, isn’t it?”, Kathryn watched Regina closely, “I mean he already knows her. And I think he’s old enough to understand things if you were to explain them to him.”

“What’s there to explain? I don’t even know what’s going on. How could I possibly explain it to Henry? First of all I have to get a clue”, Regina sighed and took a sip of her wine, “I just don’t know what she wants from me. Or sees in me or…I just don’t know.”

They sat in silence for a while, Regina’s mind racing and Kathryn debating whether or not she should ask what she wanted to ask. When she saw the desperate look on her friend’s face she decided to risk it, “Can I ask you a question, Regina?”

“Of course.”

“Promise me not to get mad.”

Regina scoffed, “Really, Kat? How old are we? Five?”

“Promise me.”

She sighed, but agreed, “Fine. I promise. Now spit it out. I want to catch some sleep, preferably in this century.”

“Haha…really funny, Regina. Alright, so…what do you want from Ruby? Or what do you see in her? Let’s say you didn’t have to worry about Henry. If you wouldn’t have to worry about anything. Would you ask her out, date her?”

Regina thought about it for a long time, but she couldn’t come up with an answer, “Yes. No. Maybe. I simply don’t know.”

Kathryn was worried that Regina seemed so conflicted, “And why is that? Why are you so unsure?”

“Because she’s so great. I mean look at her. She’s beautiful and smart and truly good at heart. She’s too good to be true. And she’s so young”, Regina admitted at last.

“That’s what bothers you the most, isn’t it? The age difference”, Kathryn stated matter-of-factly.

“How could it not? I mean Mal has a point. Emma and I, we had Henry when I was around her age. But times have changed and she isn’t me. I don’t want to jump from affair to affair and it wouldn’t be fair to Henry. He deserves something constant and I want, I _need_ something real, something lasting, in my life. And even if she were to be interested now…I’m not getting any younger. A few years down the road and she would see for herself that age is more than a number. That it is a problem.”

\-------------

Kathryn had stayed the night in the end because they had emptied another bottle of wine and she clearly hadn’t been in a condition where she could have driven.

Regina woke up to the smell of coffee and was grateful that she wasn’t alone for once.  
Sure, Henry was there every other week, but it was not the same. He was her son and she had to take care of him, he was still a kid after all, no matter how much he wanted to pretend otherwise.  
Henry was everything to her and she was fairly happy with her life, but she did miss having a partner on occasion.  
It were the small things she missed the most.  
Someone making her breakfast or at least coffee here and there, someone hugging her when she felt low, a kiss on the neck or the shoulder before she fell asleep, someone who simply held her through the night.  
She didn’t need spectacular, Regina had always been a person who had found the greatest joy in day-to-day life. 

When she entered the kitchen Kathryn was standing at the counter, preparing breakfast.

“Morning”, Regina mumbled and leaned against the doorframe.

“Good morning, sunshine”, Kathryn chirped and Regina rolled her eyes. She wasn’t necessarily a morning person when her son wasn’t around. She managed to pull herself together for Henry, but when he wasn’t with her she usually woke up in a mood.

Kathryn eyed her closely, “Regina, are you alright?”

“I, yeah. I’m just tired. This whole situation is so confusing.”  
She was handed a mug of freshly brewed coffee and inhaled the scent eagerly. Kathryn smiled at her and it was the first time that Regina saw that the smile didn’t reach her friend’s eyes and it startled her.

Watching the blonde mixing up ingredients to make some omelettes Regina also noticed how tense she was. What was going on?

“Kathryn? What’s wrong?”

“What?”, the blonde almost jumped, “Nothing. Everything’s fine.”

But Regina knew it was a lie. She took a step closer, “Kathryn…you are my friend. We’ve always been there for each other. What’s going on?”

The blonde didn’t say anything for a long time, but then she whispered, “Frederick is having an affair.”

“What?!”, Regina’s eyes went wide, “Do you suspect that or do you know it?”

Kathryn turned to face Regina, a single tear rolling down her cheek, “I know it. I’ve suspected for a while because he was hardly at home anymore. He always had meetings that lasted late into the night, the cliché thing really. I came back from Los Angeles a few hours early, got an earlier flight. And I called him, but he wouldn’t answer. Texted me a few minutes later he was having a business dinner so I thought I’d get myself some sushi and that’s where I saw him…sitting at a table with that other woman, laughing, holding hands, kissing.”

“Oh Kat, I’m so sorry”, Regina pulled Kathryn into a hug, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to…I mean you’re insecure enough as it is, Regina. And Frederick cheating on me with this young, blonde…she could be a model, she’s really good looking. I have to give him that. I didn’t want you to freak out even more”, Kathryn admitted weakly.

“Not sure that’s possible ‘cause I’m pretty freaked out”, Regina joked and managed to make Kathryn chuckle, “Ain’t that the truth.”

Kathryn stepped out of the embrace and returned to the task of making breakfast.

“What are you going to do now? Anything I can do to help?”, Regina asked carefully and Kathryn shook her head, “My lawyers are on it already. Frederick doesn’t know that I’ve seen him, so he doesn’t know that I know. He will be quite surprised when he finds himself fired on Monday. And finds out that I filed for divorce. Of course, I had the common sense to take some pics with my phone, but that idiot was too busy to notice it. I also hired a private investigator, just to be sure that there would be enough evidence because according to our marriage contract he gets nothing if he cheats on me. Obviously, he has forgotten about that little detail. As for his job, I won’t have him work at my company a day longer. Everything he has, everything he is…he is because of me. I gave him everything. And now I’ll take it away.”

“Are you sure you wanna do that? That doesn’t sound like you…I get that you are hurt, Kat. But you’ve never been one for vengeance. Frederick does a great job at the company”, Regina tried to reason. While she understood how upset Kathryn was she wasn’t sure that her friend was making rational decisions at the moment.

“It’s not up for discussion. I already found a replacement for him. I gave him everything, Regina. I wanted children, he didn’t. He wanted to travel, see the world. So we did that. It would have been okay if he had told me that he didn’t love me anymore, but betraying me, going behind my back like that…I will not tolerate that.”

Regina nodded because really, what else was there to say?  
“Alright. If you need anything let me know.”

\-------------

She had managed to drag Kathryn along for a run after breakfast and the exercise had them done some good. After that Kathryn had returned home and Regina had taken a shower and gone over her ideas for Henry’s birthday once again.

By the time Emma and Henry arrived Regina was sure she hadn’t forgotten anything and that everything was under control, which was great because Emma had no talent for things like that whatsoever.  
The three of them had dinner together after Regina had cooked some pasta quickly and Emma was surprised to hear that Regina had thought about celebrating Henry’s birthday at some diner she had never heard about before. About celebrating at a diner in general because Regina had always been so big on eating all this healthy stuff, but she knew better than to argue, she didn’t want Regina to change her mind.

“So, Henry…how many of your friends do you want to invite?”, Regina asked, notepad and pen already in hand.

“Um…Roland, Ava, Grace and Billy. Will Ruby be there too? And Nash?”, Henry asked with a hopeful glint in his eye and Regina closed hers and sighed. Great.

“Ruby? Who’s Ruby? And Nash?”, Emma looked around in confusion.

Henry smiled, “Ruby is mom’s friend. Her grandma owns the diner. And Nash is Ruby’s dog. He’s a Pitbull.”

“Your mom let you near a Pitbull?”, Emma’s mouth hung open in disbelief.

Henry only shrugged, “Sure. She likes him too.”

she turned around to look at her son’s other mother properly, “Is that so? Regina?”

“Well, I suppose he’s tolerable”, Regina tried to play it off, but Emma wasn’t convinced, “So, who is this Ruby? Is there something I should know about?”

Regina threw her hands into the air, “Why is everyone asking that lately? Is it so hard to believe that I made a new friend?”

“What? Regina, no…it’s just surprising. You hardly ever meet people who interested you enough to keep them around is all”, Emma tried to calm her down, “It’s good that you made a friend. I’m happy for you.”

“So, is Ruby coming?”, Henry asked again and Regina pinched the bridge of her nose in order to focus, “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her yourself? My phone is on the kitchen counter. Call her and check if you want and tell her I’ll get back to her about the details in a bit.”

“Okay.”  
Henry stormed out of the living room and left Regina and Emma to themselves, watching each other closely.

“Don’t invite Frederick”, Regina announced quickly because she didn’t want Henry to hear, “Kat caught him cheating. They are getting a divorce.”

“I’m sorry”, Emma mumbled, “Is she okay?”

“She will be.”

Silence grew between them after that, but unfortunately not the comfortable kind.

“I’d tell you if I’d be dating someone”, Regina stated once she couldn’t bear to stay quiet any longer.

“It would be okay if you did, you know”, Emma offered with a small smile, “You deserve to be with someone who makes you happy.”

Regina nodded, “I know. But Ruby is really just a friend. She’s not the one. You’ll probably meet her at Henry’s birthday party…then you’ll understand.”

“Okay.”  
Emma took Regina’s hand and squeezed it encouragingly, “But if she were I’d be happy for you. I know it’s hard to start dating again. It does feel weird in the beginning, but if you give someone a chance it will be okay. The first date is the hardest. It gets easier after that. I promise you.”

When Regina didn’t answer Emma added, “So, where did you meet this Ruby?”

\-------------

Surprisingly enough Regina had told Emma the whole story without the blonde having to bribe or threaten her and Emma had listened carefully to every word.

“This Ruby…she sounds pretty amazing”, the blonde said matter-of-factly once Regina was done talking.

Right that moment Henry stormed back in, “Ruby said she’s going to be there and that she wouldn’t miss it for the world. But she said Nash should probably not come to the diner since Killian is allergic to dogs, but that we can go to the park before the party. And that you should call her later. And that she’s bringing Nash on Wednesday for dinner.”

“Whoa there, kid…breathe”, Emma looked amused, “Someone’s got a little excited there, huh?”

“Nash is soooo cool!”, Henry handed Regina her cell phone, “Don’t forget to call Ruby! I’m going to read a bit before bed.”  
And with that, the boy stormed out of the room once again.

“You sure she’s not the one?”, Emma raised her eyebrow.

Regina wanted to say that she was sure, that Ruby couldn’t be, but for the first time, the words wouldn’t leave her lips.


	10. Another dinner, same problem

**R** egina had called Ruby once Emma had left and had told her about the number of guests, the food they had decided on and everything else relevant for the party.  
She had kept the conversation short in the end because Regina hadn’t trusted herself not to cancel dinner on Wednesday.  
With everyone pointing out that things with Ruby could work out the pressure was building and she couldn’t handle it. Her first instinct was to distance herself, but she didn’t want to do that to Henry. Her son was so excited to see Ruby and Nash on Wednesday and Regina was looking forward to it too if she was honest. But she was also scared, terrified really.  
She needed a moment to adjust, to get rid of the panic that had befallen her and, the hardest part, she had to find out if Ruby would even consider dating her.  
How she was going to pull that off she didn’t know yet. The fact that she had started to consider dating Ruby was something Regina decided not to dwell on.

\-------------

Henry had talked her into buying some dog treats during their shopping trip on Tuesday, not that it had needed much convincing. Her son had been right, she did in fact like Nash, truth be told, she was quite taken with him.  
The same was true for the dog’s owner, but it wasn’t so easy for Regina to admit that.  
In the moments she was calm she looked forward to seeing Ruby, in the moments of doubt she just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide.

Kathryn’s situation didn’t help to stay positive, but she was trying. She liked spending time with Ruby and being friends with the younger brunette would be amazing, but Regina slowly realised, deep down, that she would like to date Ruby. Very much so in fact.  
She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something about Ruby that she felt incredibly drawn too.  
And yet Regina was well aware that it was a dangerous game she was considering to play.

She would give herself some time to evaluate the situation, to allow things to develop naturally and to find out about Ruby and her intentions. While Regina was sure now that Ruby wasn’t the player she had thought she would be, she wasn’t sure if Ruby was interested in her like that.  
And asking the younger brunette out right now was not an option anyway. Regina wanted to get to know Ruby better first and time would tell the rest.

So, when the doorbell rang on Wednesday, point seven once again, it wasn’t Regina who answered the door, but Henry. She decided to let her son greet Ruby like he would do with Kathryn or Mal as well - for now, the goal was to be friends.

\-------------

Regina was stirring one of the pots when she heard laughter from the living room and she had to smile. Henry and Ruby were getting along so well and it made her feel so relieved. A lot of people chose to hide the fact that they had kids when they met new people and she understood the aspect that some people wanted to be sure before they introduced their kids to someone new, but she didn’t understand how some people simply didn’t tell because they thought the other person would lose interest.  
As a single parent, she would always come as some sort of a package deal and she’d rather have people know from the start so they could leave before it got serious in case they didn’t want anything to do with it.  
She hadn’t minded telling Ruby that she had a son, but if they hadn’t landed at the diner that day she probably wouldn’t have had Henry meet Ruby so early on.  
But what was done was done and now she was glad that it had happened that way because at least she could be sure that Ruby wouldn’t be bothered by Henry.

The next thing she knew was that she heard Ruby call Nash’s name and before Regina could so much as turn around he barrelled into the kitchen like a maniac and crashed right into her legs because he couldn’t manage to stop properly in his excitement, almost knocking Regina over in the process.  
Once she found her balance she chuckled and bent down to pet and greet Nash, who licked over her cheek as usual, his very own way of “kissing” her hello.

“Traitor”, Ruby growled playfully as she appeared in the doorway.

“Good evening to you too, dear”, Regina replied with a smile.

\-------------

Dinner had been fun, mostly because Henry had talked a mile a minute about school and how he wanted to go camping in summer. Regina had looked miserable at the prospect, but Ruby had sided with her son, of course, and had agreed that camping was the perfect way to spend one’s vacation.

“Well, if you are so fond of camping…you are free to take Henry into the woods”, Regina replied with a smug smile on her face.

“Or Ruby could come with us”, Henry threw in and Regina almost choked on her water.  
She struggled for a reply when Ruby answered casually, seemingly unfazed, “I could do that. Pretty sure Nash would love it too.”

Regina wondered how a simple dinner with a friend could turn into planning a vacation so quickly and she was literally saved by the bell when her phone started ringing. The caller ID said it was Kathryn, so she got up, “I’m sorry, I have to take this.”

\-------------

The call had taken longer than Regina had anticipated, but Kathryn had been drunk and having a low moment and she was worried about her best friend. Kathryn usually seemed so collected, but Regina knew that the situation must be killing her, so she had talked to her till Mal had arrived. Kathryn must have texted her while they were on the phone.  
Regina was glad that she wasn’t alone because she couldn’t go over there anyway since it was her week with Henry and she wouldn’t leave him all by himself although he was almost thirteen.

When she returned to the living room the table was clean and Ruby and Nash were sitting on the couch, watching TV.

“Is everything alright?”, Ruby asked, concern evident in her voice.

Regina sat down next to her, “Yes. I’m sorry, Kathryn…”

“No need to apologise. Henry went to bed about ten minutes ago. He's such a great kid. You and Emma, you did a great job raising him for sure.”

She was touched by the compliment and smiled, “Thank you. And thanks for cleaning up.”

“Thanks for dinner. It was delicious”, Ruby returned the smile, but turned serious again only a second later, “You sure everything’s okay? You look worried.”

Regina sighed, “Kathryn filed for divorce. Her husband has been cheating on her with some twenty something year old.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Me too. She’s having a bad day, but Mal’s there now. I just couldn’t hang up on her because she’s been drinking. I had no idea it would take Mal so long to get there. Then again I don’t know where she was when Kathryn texted her. Probably with that new boy toy of hers”, Regina rubbed her temple. This whole situation, not just her own, everything in general, gave her headaches.

“Boy toy?”  
Ruby looked at Regina in confusion.

“Yeah, she’s seeing some twenty-two-year-old artist or something.”

“Seeing as in dating?”, Ruby asked to clarify, but Regina only chuckled bitterly, “Hardly. She’ll use him for her pleasure and chew him out afterwards. Mal says there’s no point in dating someone that young…because people that young are only interested in partying, money and sex. We’ll see how true her perception is once Frederick’s blondie finds out that he’s broke because Kat cut him off.”

Ruby seemed to think about Regina’s words for a moment, “Do you agree with Mal’s point of view? That people my age aren’t dating material?”

Regina felt face-palming herself. She should have expected the question, but she hadn’t. God, damnit!

“Well, no. I mean…I’m sure you are a great date, Ruby. It’s just…I’m not sure if…well, if it would work if you’d start dating someone my age”, Regina managed to say, but cursed herself for being so ineloquent and prayed that Ruby would let it go.  
Of course she wasn’t that lucky.

“Why’s age such a big deal for you? What would be so wrong about someone in their twenties dating someone in their thirties or early forties or something?”

“Nothing is wrong with that. But take me for example…I have a son. If I were to date someone I would want something real, something lasting because I don’t want Henry to meet someone new every other month. And I think people in their twenties, especially early twenties, aren’t usually looking for a commitment like that. Do you know what I mean?”, Regina didn’t dare to look at Ruby.

Ruby sighed, “Yeah, I get that. Some people aren’t really mature yet at that age, I do understand that. But it’s possible. There are exceptions. You were around my age when Emma had Henry, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, but Emma was the same age. She’s only a few months younger than me. I think if I were to date someone as young as Mal’s artist I would know it could only be physical because he’ll find some young, pretty girl eventually. I'm not getting any younger and while it might not be a problem in the beginning, age certainly always becomes a problem in the end. Once you get older partying becomes less important, responsibilities and priorities shift, especially when you have a kid. And when you’ve had time to live and make your experiences and everything it’s okay…I’m okay with it, but if I were that young again I probably wouldn’t be. I’d want the world and you can’t have both”, Regina tried to explain and she watched Ruby getting lost in her own thoughts.

They sat in silence for a while until Ruby got up, ready to leave, “I still think it could work. With the right person.”


	11. A party gone wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Sorry for the delay, everyone!_   
>  _My trip last week turned out to be way more adventurous than anticipated._   
>  _When I finally came back home on Sunday I was simply too exhausted and I had to catch up on sleep first._   
>  _Back now with the, not so little, pup in tow._   
>  _And with regular updates._   
>  _Thanks for your patience! <3_

**A** lthough their conversation had left both of them feeling a bit awkward Regina and Ruby had agreed to have dinner again the next Wednesday. And the Wednesdays after that.  
Regina and her friends would come to _The Rabbit Hole_ on Fridays and Ruby managed to drop by in the weeks Henry was with her a couple of times to take them to the park - together with Nash.

Things had returned back to normal eventually, the tension had faded and their friendship intensified.  
Henry’s birthday party would be the next day and while her son was sound asleep in his bed Regina was still on the phone with Ruby, talking about some last minute changes.

Tomorrow would get interesting with all of them being together - Henry, his friends and their parents, Kathryn, Mal, Emma and Killian and some of Emma’s friends as well. And Ruby.  
Regina was nervous, to say the least, but she tried not to show it because she wouldn’t know how to explain why she felt like her life depended on it.

\-------------

Ruby had shown up with breakfast Saturday morning, together with Nash and Henry had been ecstatic and if Regina was honest she had been as well.  
Having Ruby at her apartment had become a common occurrence and she enjoyed it more than she cared to admit.

Henry adored Ruby as much as the leggy brunette adored him and it warmed Regina’s heart. Her son’s well-being had been her biggest worry when the decision to break up had been made back in the day, but they had made it work and seeing how Henry was so open-minded and welcoming to the new people in both hers and Emma’s lives gave her a feeling of pride and accomplishment.  
While she had no idea where Ruby and she were headed, they had managed to become friends indeed, but Regina would be lying if she would say it was enough.  
She had thought it could be and for a while it had been, but the more time she spent with Ruby the more she realized that she cared a lot more about her friend than she should.

\-------------

It was only when Regina entered the diner that it dawned on her that she would finally meet Ruby’s grandmother as well and the mere thought was what turned her into a nervous wreck.

Everyone else was already there, waiting for the birthday boy, and Henry dashed forward, leaving Regina to fend for herself.  
She was so nervous that she didn’t even notice that everyone was staring at her expectantly and it was only when Regina felt someone’s touch on her arm that she finally started to pay attention to her surroundings.

“Regina, are you alright?”

It was Ruby.  
Of course.

“Yes, I’m fine. I was just lost in thought for a moment”, Regina assured, “The diner looks amazing. Thank you for everything you’ve done, Ruby.”

A bright smile appeared on the younger woman’s face, “It’s been my pleasure. Come on, I want to introduce you to Granny!”

Ruby sounded so excited, Regina didn’t have the heart to decline, but she felt her stomach tighten in a knot.

She needn’t worry as it turned out though because Eugenia Lucas simply had pulled her into a hug and had welcomed her, stating that she had been dying to meet the woman her granddaughter seemed so taken with.  
Ruby had blushed furiously, which Regina had found adorable. It had also given her a tiny bit of hope that maybe they were headed somewhere. Somewhere more than friends.

Regina greeted everyone else after that and introduced Ruby to Killian and Emma.  
And while she knew that Emma made friends easily she found it irritating how well her ex and her, well, friend seemed to hit it off.

Her confusion grew as the afternoon gave way to the evening and Emma and Ruby were still chatting and laughing together as if they had known each other since forever.

\-------------

Kathryn and Mal had left about half an hour ago because they had a business thing to attend to, but they had promised to call Regina later.

Regina had talked to Eugenia for a bit, discussing recipes while Henry had played with his friend and Ruby’s grandmother had insisted that Regina would come see her for breakfast one of these days because she wanted to get to know her better, but she had party guests to attend to, which had kept the older Lucas woman quite busy.  
It was only when Regina dropped down on a barstool at the counter, ready to order herself a drink, that she realized that Emma’s and Ruby’s instant connection had taken a toll on someone other than her as well.

Killian was sitting there, emptying what seemed to be not his first glass of whiskey.

“She’s not one to cheat, you know”, Regina stated and gestured at Ashley to refill his glass and bring her one as well.  
“In all the years we’ve been together…and let me tell you it hasn’t always been easy and we faced a few really rough patches…she never once cheated on me. And she won’t start now. That’s not who Emma is.”

She wasn’t sure why she was telling him this, but somehow Regina felt sorry for Killian. It had to be hard for him, knowing that she had been with a woman for so long, that they had raised a son together.

“How would you know? That she never cheated on you I mean”, he asked as he took a sip of his refilled glass.

“Because we talked about it. After we broke up. And I always know when she’s lying. As Emma always knew when I tried to hide things from her”, Regina stated matter-of-factly, “I haven’t cheated on her either in case you were wondering.”

“I didn’t…it’s none of my business”, Killian mumbled without looking at Regina.

They sat in silence for a while, each of them sipping their drinks when Killian turned to look at her all of a sudden, “What if…I mean…what if I’m not good enough. I mean look at me…and look at you. Or her”, he pointed at Ruby, “I could never compete with either of you. And not just when it comes to physique. You especially. It’s so hard to…I don’t know. Don’t get me wrong…I think it’s great that you guys are still friends and I respect that. But you have so much history and I’m just…it’s really hard to meet the standard you set. Emma loves you, you know. She might not be in love with you anymore, but she has so much love for you…and I don’t know if we’ll ever have anything like that, her and I. And then I watch her with Ruby…is that her name…and all I’m waiting for is to see them hook up because I’m just someone she passed time with till…”

“Stop”, Regina put a hand on his arm to keep him from rambling on. She couldn’t hear him say more, didn’t even want to consider the possibility of Emma and Ruby because "no". She just couldn’t.   
She had let him rant because clearly he had to get it off his chest and while it warmed her heart to hear that Emma did care about her so much even after all this time and despite everything, she also felt very sorry for the man who fought so hard to find his place in this constellation of theirs.

“You really love her, don’t you?”, Regina asked boldly and got a nod in return, “I do. It’s stupid and I’m probably doomed, but…the heart wants what the heart wants.”

Regina took a glance at Ruby and sighed, “I know.”

Killian followed her line of sight, “You really like her, huh?”

“It’s complicated.”  
She couldn’t admit it. Not to him.   
Not at this very moment either.

“Sure doesn’t seem complicated between her and Swan.”

The comment felt like a slap in the face, but Regina decided to ignore it.

“Listen, Killian…Emma really cares about you. And I would know. I remember the day she told me about you two vividly. She was so nervous. She was also all smiles. It’s been hard for her with so many people disapproving of her dating a man now, but she stood tall and she endured it all. She accepted that it cost her some of her friends. She did it for you. I’m well aware that our situation is a bit on the unconventional side, but we made it work, didn’t we?”

Killian emptied his tumbler, “Thanks for supporting her and not being like the rest of those geese she considered friends. For being so open-minded about our relationship. I think I never properly thanked you for that.”

“You’re welcome. I just want Emma to be happy. And I want her to be with someone who treats her with respect and who is good to her. And to Henry of course.”

He nodded, “Of course. Kid’s badass. You did a great job there.”

“Thank you”, Regina emptied her own glass, “You don’t have to be intimidated by every woman she talks to. No need to feel so insecure. Emma cares about you a lot. I know because I know her.”

Killian nodded once again, “I appreciate you saying that, but it’s a lot easier said than done.”

“I know.”

It was him, who gestured for another refill this time, “So why is it complicated with the young lady?”

Regina sighed.  
She didn’t really want to talk about it, but oh well.  
“Spot on…she’s so young.”

Killian looked at her in confusion, “What do you mean?”

“She’s almost twelve years younger than me. I have a son who’s soon going to be a raging teenager. It’s…”

“Complicated”, he finished and moved one glass over to her, “Does it have to be? I mean you obviously like her. Does she like you back?”

“I don’t know”, Regina admitted and took a big gulp.

“Maybe you should find that out for starters and worry about the rest later”, he suggested and looked at Regina expectantly, “Kid seems to like her just fine and I dare say it’s mutual.”

“Henry adores her and Ruby likes him just as much. But that’s also the problem. What if we were to start dating and it doesn’t work out and…I don’t want to hop from affair to affair. I want something real, something lasting. Breaking up with Emma was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It was for the best because we weren’t in love anymore and staying together would have only led to disaster, but still. And I don’t want to go through that again. I mean I’m not good with letting people in and…”, she confessed after another sip of whiskey.

“I get it. My first wife died and I thought I’d never love again. It’s not the same situation, but I get it. The thing is…Regina…what makes you so sure that it couldn’t last? Or that a relationship with someone your age will? The truth is people break up every day…for all kinds of reasons. One of my friends is married to a woman who’s fifteen years older than him. They’ve met when he was barely twenty. That was almost thirty years ago. They’re still together and still as in love as on day one. So I say…if you really like this girl and she likes you too…go for it. Don’t miss your chance at happiness out of fear that it might not work out because it could. You’ll never know whether you’ll get your heart broken or not. It’s always a risk. Whether you take it your not, that’s your choice.”

Regina was silent for a while so he added, “I took a risk when I asked Emma out and I haven’t regretted it since. Yes, I’m paranoid as you’ve just witnessed yourself, but that’s because I’m scared of losing her because I love her, but I wouldn’t change a thing if I could go back in time. Even if it doesn’t work out in the end…it was worth it. She’s worth it.”

\-------------

When Regina came back from using the bathroom after drinking some more whiskey she caught Emma and Ruby standing close, whispering and smiling at one another and it didn’t sit well with her.  
Not at all.

She had no idea what was going on and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know, not sure that she could take it.   
Because somehow it really looked as if those two could have hit it off.  
Regina prayed she hadn’t “promised” Killian too much earlier because Ruby definitely would be Emma’s type if she knew her ex at all.

But it couldn’t be, now could it?  
Emma knew that Regina liked Ruby. She had to know.  
Maybe she shouldn’t have insisted that they were friends and that it was all they could ever be.

When Regina heard Ruby say that she would see Emma on Thursday while the brunette nodded excitedly Regina felt her stomach drop.

She had to get away. She had to.  
Most of the guests had left by now anyway so Regina got her coat and said her good-byes before she hugged her son tight for a moment, wishing it would be her week with Henry.

Henry.  
If Emma and Ruby would…oh God, what a mess that would create.  
Regina couldn’t even think about it.

She was about to head for the door when Ruby grabbed her wrist, “You can’t drive.”

Regina looked at her with a mix of anger and irritation, but before she could have said anything Ruby added, “Do you honestly believe that I didn’t see you drink with the pirate? I don’t know why you felt the need to get wasted at your son’s birthday party, but I’m not letting you drive.”

She held out her hand, waiting for Regina to hand over her car keys, but Regina had no intention of doing so.

“I’m not drunk.”  
And she wasn’t, but she wasn’t sober either.

“You might not be drunk off your ass, but I won’t let you drive. So either you give me your keys and I’ll drive you…”

At that Regina snapped, “I’ll call a cab. No need for you to leave here. I wouldn’t want to drag you away from Emma.”

“Regina?”  
Ruby looked at her with wide eyes because she seemingly didn’t understand why Regina would be so distant all of a sudden.

She didn’t bother to say another word, she was irritated and confused and even a little bit hurt, so Regina pulled her arm away and left the diner.  
The fresh air hit her heavily though and she realized how inebriated she really was.

Bloody hell!

She felt dizzy and nauseous all of a sudden and Regina feared that she might keel over, but before anything could have happened she felt strong arms steady her and she looked straight into Ruby’s concerned eyes only a second later.

“Regina, I don’t know what you think is going on here and at the moment it doesn’t matter. We’ll talk about this tomorrow, but right now I’m taking you upstairs because you really need to lie down.”

She didn’t want to, she really didn’t want to, but Regina knew she wouldn’t be able to stand up for much longer so she nodded, partially sure that she would regret it come morning.


	12. Little lies

**S** he was incredibly warm and her head was close to exploding.  
That were the first two things Regina realized when she woke up. 

There was also snoring.  
Snoring?!  
She wanted to shoot up, but couldn’t because something heavy was lying on her shoulder.

Turning her head she came nose to nose with Nash, who was pressed against her side.  
What the hell?

And then the memories from last night came rushing back. Foggy at best, but still.  
Oh God!

Regina debated what to do and it was in that moment that the dog woke up with a start and the excitement in his eyes made her chuckle despite everything. He jumped up, tail wagging and started to shower her with doggy kisses and there was nothing she could have done to stop him because she was exhausted and headachy, but then a “Nash, stop. Let her live” came from the doorway and the dog dashed off to greet his owner.

It was only when Regina moved into a sitting position that she noticed that Ruby was already dressed for work at the diner and her brow furrowed in confusion.  
Wasn’t Monday Ruby’s day off?

“It’s only seven, so you won’t be late in case you…uh…have meetings or anything”, Ruby stated and looked over at her nightstand, “There’s water and something to help with the…”, she tipped against her own temple.

“Thank you”, Regina mumbled, still none the wiser.

Ruby nodded towards the door, “I have to go open up. Granny isn’t feeling well this morning and Belle just called that she will be late because her babysitter stood her up. Take a shower if you want…I put fresh towels out for you and in case you need something to wear just grab something from my closet.”

Regina could tell that Ruby was worried, but also stressed, so she simply nodded in understanding and watched her friend go, but she couldn’t help, but feel guilty about treating Ruby so harshly the night before.

It took Regina a while to get going, but when she remembered that she had no appointments that day a plan started to form in her head and she went off in search for the shower. Sure, she had a lot of work waiting for her, but it was nothing that couldn’t wait till tomorrow.

\-------------

About half an hour later she appeared in the diner, wearing her red heels and black jeans from the day before and one of Ruby’s red flannel shirts. It had been a tad too long, so she had knotted it at the front.

Ruby’s eyes went wide when she caught sight of her, effectively pouring coffee onto the counter instead of into the mug she was holding with her left hand, causing Regina to chuckle. Ruby was so adorable.

The aspirin had worked its magic by now and Regina felt refreshed after her shower so she walked behind the counter and took a cloth and wiped it clean.

“R-regina? What are you doing?”, Ruby looked at her, wide-eyed and startled, but Regina only smiled at her while she shrugged, “Helping you, dear. What else?”

Ruby was stunned into silence and more than that confused by Regina’s behavior. The evening before she had almost bitten her head off and now she wanted to help her? It felt a bit like whiplash, but she would deal with that later. Right now she had work to do. They had work to do apparently.

“Are you sure?”

Regina nodded, “Positive. So what can I do?”

\-------------

She had ended up serving customers and Regina hadn’t minded one bit. Ruby and she had worked together effortlessly till Belle had arrived about two hours later, apologizing repeatedly, but Ruby had simply told her that it was okay and that they would be out of there if she didn’t need them anymore.  
Belle had basically shoved them out of the door, assuring Ruby that she had everything under control, but that she would call in case of an emergency.

And that’s how they had ended up on “their” bench in the park once again.

“Care to tell me why you were so upset last night?”, Ruby asked carefully, well aware that the question could blow up in her face.

Regina dropped her head and sighed, “It’s stupid. I’m sorry I was such a bitch.”

“It’s okay”, Ruby eyed Regina curiously, “But I’m sure it wasn’t stupid. Just tell me what I did wrong and I’ll try not to do it again.”

“You didn’t do anything”, Regina admitted, “Killian was jealous and we started talking and drinking together. I feel for the poor guy. Has to be hard to be with a woman when you know she’s also into the ladies. And watching you and Emma laugh and get on so well…he felt so insecure and it got to me too somehow.”

Ruby’s expression went from worried to shocked, “I wasn’t flirting with Emma...was I?”

Regina didn’t know what to say because it was none of her business to begin with. They weren’t together. Neither her and Emma nor her and Ruby. Aside from that, she knew where that conversation would head if her own jealousy would get the best of her again. She had reached a point where she could accept that she had been jealous and Killian’s words rang in the back of her mind as well. So she liked Ruby. A lot. And she’d love to ask her out, but she wouldn’t. She couldn’t. She didn’t dare to.

“Oh god!”, Ruby put a hand over her mouth, “I was flirting with her. Am I right?”

When Regina still didn’t say anything she started rambling, “Gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. It’s just…it’s who I am. It’s kind of second nature and…I just. I wanted to make a good impression on Emma. I just wanted her to like me because she’s your ex and you raise Henry together and I…”

She stopped herself just in time before she would have said something she might have regretted.  
Unfortunately, Regina caught on to it none-the-less, “You what?”

Ruby dropped her head in shame, “Emma is important to you and I…well, you are my friend and I’d like to stick around and I thought if she wouldn’t like me she probably wouldn’t want me around Henry and then you probably wouldn’t want me around either and I…”

“Ruby”, Regina put her hand on the brunette’s arm and squeezed it softly, “Everything’s fine. Emma would never do that. And why wouldn’t she like you? You’re so good with Henry and she knows how much he likes you. She’d never ask that of him or me…even if you two wouldn’t have gotten along so well. And while Emma and I are friends…it’s not her choice to make who I let into my life.”

“Okay.”

“And if you want to hang out with Emma that’s fine too”, Regina said while she tried to keep her composure. It wouldn’t make her happy, but it wasn’t her place to tell Ruby who she could or couldn’t see.

“No, that’s not what this is, Regina”, Ruby shook her head vehemently, “Emma told me that Henry wrote about Nash for his school project and he wanted to take some pictures of him. So we agreed to meet up on Thursday. She said she’ll call you and tell you all about it. Today, actually. Because she wanted you to be there too.”

“Oh.”  
Regina felt stupid all of a sudden, but at the same time she was incredibly relieved and it showed.  
That also meant it didn’t stay unnoticed by Ruby, who eyed Regina curiously when it finally dawned on her, “You were jealous too, weren’t you? I mean I get it…you and Emma were so close and…”

Regina felt her cheeks flush, “This is not about Emma.”

It took a few moments before Ruby registered what Regina had revealed and what it meant, but then it hit her with full force and her eyes grew wide in realization.

Regina, growing more and more insecure by the second, tried to prepare for the worst. Her stupidity would cost her this new friendship.  
What would Ruby say? Would she say anything at all?  
Or would she simply get up and leave, laughing at the absurdity of it all?

Imagine Regina’s surprise when she felt Ruby’s hand on her arm instead, causing her to look into sparkling green eyes.

“Regina, I would never. I have no interest in Emma whatsoever”, Ruby assured while confusion set it, “But I thought you didn’t…you weren’t interested in…you know…dating me…”

Regina closed her eyes and sighed, “I might have lied.”

She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but there was no point in lying or denying it anymore, now was there?

Ruby couldn’t help, but chuckle, “Well, that’s kinda…awesome. Because I might have lied too.”

When Regina seemed to be completely lost she added, “When I said that nobody has caught my interest. Because that’s not true. You’ve caught my interest alright.”

“Why me? I’m so much older than you. I have a son. Most of the girls would give their right arm to be with you.”

Ruby smiled, “That’s exactly the reason. You aren’t like the others. And are you kidding me? I love that kid! You know that, right?”

Regina nodded. That she did know.

“And”, Ruby moved a strand of hair out of Regina’s face gently, “If you ever bring that age crap up again I will seriously flip. Regina, you are more than your age. You are more than your looks. Don’t get me wrong…you’re beautiful, but there’s so much more to you than that. I’ve enjoyed every single second we’ve spent together. I didn’t even dare to dream of being your friend in the beginning. I didn’t think you’d give me the time of day and yet here we are and I’m…”

“I’m not ready”, Regina admitted in a somewhat defeated tone, but Ruby squeezed her arm encouragingly, “I know that. I’ve always known that. And that’s okay. I can wait. You’re worth it.”

It was the first real smile that appeared on Regina’s face that day.  
It left her feeling warm and her brown eyes sparkling. 

It was that smile that left Ruby pretty much breathless.


	13. Sneaky

**W** hen Regina arrived at her apartment later that day Emma was sitting in front of her door, waiting for her.

“Is something wrong with Henry?”  
Regina was on high alert as soon as she saw Emma because she had expected a phone call, but the presence of her former partner was quite the surprise.

Emma got up and smiled, “He’s fine. He’s with Killian. They are cleaning the boat because we want to go sailing on Friday.”

Regina let out the breath she hadn’t even been aware of holding, “Okay. Well, don’t get me wrong…it’s not that I don’t want to see you. But why are you here?”

Emma fidgeted with her hands, “Uhm…I wanted to talk to you. About yesterday.”

Regina sighed, but nodded, unlocked her front door and gestured for Emma to enter her apartment, “Coffee? Tea?”

“Could you, by any chance, make me a hot chocolate?”, Emma’s eyes were wide and pleading and Regina chuckled, “But of course, kid.”

“Hey!”

When Regina took off her coat Emma’s eyes grew wide.  
Regina was wearing a flannel shirt.  
That was so not hers.  
Had hell frozen over?

Regina followed Emma’s line of sight and blushed furiously, “It’s not. I mean it’s Ruby’s, but it’s not what you think…”

“I’m not thinking anything”, Emma reassured, “And I’m not judging either. I was just surprised to see you in flannel.”

“It’s surprisingly comfy”, Regina admitted weakly.

“See! I’ve tried to tell you for years, but you wouldn’t believe me!”, Emma smirked, causing Regina to laugh at her childish antics.

“Keep this up and there will be no hot chocolate for you”, Regina threatened playfully, but Emma knew better than to keep pushing and fell silent.

\-------------

After fixing Emma’s hot chocolate and her tea they sat down in the living room and Emma started to fidget again.

“Emma, what’s going on?”

The blonde took a deep breath, “I wanted to thank you. For what you said to Killian. I didn’t mean to get so caught up in talking to Ruby, but I had to make sure that she’s…you know…okay. Because I do care about you and I want you to be happy and…”

“Breathe.”  
It warmed Regina’s heart to know that Emma was still trying to look out for her and after her conversation with Ruby she really wasn’t all that worried anymore. At least not about that.

“I got a little carried away there, didn’t I? But I swear I wasn’t flirting.”

Regina raised her eyebrow pointedly and Emma knew she didn’t believe her, “I wasn’t. At least not much.”

“So you don’t want to hook up with Ruby?”, Regina asked, her expression deadly serious. It was simply too much fun to grill Emma.

“What? Hell no! I would never do that to you, Regina! Never! And besides…I love Killian. I do. It’s just…she’s so easy to flirt with, you know”, Emma squirmed under Regina’s gaze, “Which is kinda odd because all she talked about was you.”

An honest smile appeared on Regina’s face then, “She’s…very flirty. I know that. I think it comes with the job. But we talked this morning. I crashed at her place because I’m not used to drinking like a sailor.”

Emma chuckled, “Yeah, Killian really can hold is liquor. For the most part.”

They both laughed, considering how Emma had met him.

“He’s a great guy”, Regina admitted, “And he truly cares about you, Emma. But he’s scared because he knows he can’t compete with the ladies.”

Emma slapped Regina’s shoulder playfully, but laughed none-the-less, “Sometimes I wonder where you and I went so wrong, you know? Because we were so good together while it lasted.”

Regina smiled, “We were and we are. We didn’t go wrong…look at us being here. Together. We have Henry and we have our friendship. We didn’t fail.”

“You’re right. And for what it’s worth”, Emma looked Regina straight in the eye, “I think Ruby is pretty awesome. I like her. Henry loves her and I think you might be totally wrong…”

“Wrong?”  
Regina was confused.

“You keep insisting she’s not the one, but I think she might be.”

\-------------

Ruby had to cancel dinner on Wednesday because she had to run errands for her grandmother and while Regina had been disappointed she couldn’t really complain since she had to catch up on work after her spontaneous day off on Monday.

But when Regina arrived at the park on Thursday to take pictures for Henry’s school project she was half an hour early. Ruby had mentioned that she would be there earlier to get some exercise in for Nash so he wouldn’t be so hyper anymore by the time Henry and Emma would arrive and Regina had decided it was a good opportunity to spend some time with her friend without the prying eyes of her son and her ex-girlfriend around.

Truth be told she had missed Ruby the last couple of days and while Regina would never admit that out loud she had stopped lying to herself. There was simply no point.  
She was interested in being more than friends with Ruby, but she hadn’t been lying when she had told Ruby that she wasn’t ready.

Regina didn’t know what it would take to get there or how long and that worried her because Ruby wouldn’t wait forever. And that only added to the pressure of the whole situation.

Before she could get lost in her thoughts again she caught sight of Nash, who was storming towards her like a torpedo and Regina couldn’t stop the smile that spread on her face.  
Nash slowed down in the last second and jumped up on her, trying to lick her face causing Regina to chuckle, “I missed you too, buddy.”

“Well, at least you missed one of us”, Ruby stated playfully once she caught up with her dog before she walked up to Regina to pull her into their first real hug.

Regina was startled for a second, but sunk into the embrace after a moment, enjoying the warmth, enjoying the safety she felt in Ruby’s arms.

“Shame you couldn’t make it to dinner yesterday”, Regina said when she finally pulled back and Ruby smirked knowingly, “Is that your way of telling me that you missed me too?”

“Maybe.”

\-------------

Henry and Emma arrived to the sight of Regina and Ruby sitting on a park bench, laughing.  
Squeezed between them, with a goofy smile on his face was Nash and Emma couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped her lips. The situation was too absurd.Regina, who had never cared much for animals, other than horses, was absentmindedly petting the head of a PItbull.  
And she seemed to be happy too.  
Fascinating.

“I hope you know that we have to help mom, Ma”, Henry announced all of a sudden, causing Emma to look at him in confusion, “Help with what?”

Henry nodded towards Ruby and Regina, who were so caught up in their conversation that they didn’t even see them coming, but Emma only shook her head, “No. Absolutely not.”

“Ma…”  
“No, kid. Don’t even think about it. I don’t have a death wish. And don’t be fooled, Henry…if your mom found out she’d have both our heads on a plate.”

“We just have to be sneaky”, Henry whispered before Nash finally caught sight of him, storming towards him only a moment later.

\-------------

Emma took pictures of Nash. Emma took pictures of Henry and Nash. Emma took pictures of Henry, Nash and Ruby. And then Emma took some pictures of Henry, Nash, Ruby and Regina.   
She also managed to take a few of only Regina and Nash. And one or two of Regina and Ruby - without them noticing. Of course.

Ruby even took a couple of pictures of Henry, Nash, Regina and Emma. 

It turned out to be a lot of fun and it felt incredibly patchwork-family-like, but Emma didn’t dare to mention that. She was well aware that it would send Regina running for the hills, but that didn’t change the fact that it felt like it.  
Henry was right, of course. They had to do something. They had to help Regina get over herself because if anyone knew that Regina had a “talent” to stand in her own way then it was Emma.  
And it was more than obvious that Regina and Ruby could be so much more than friends.

Emma vowed to talk to Henry about it some more once they would be back home because she wanted Regina to be happy and she hadn’t seen her smile so much in a long time.  
Ruby was good for her. Ruby and Nash to be precise. Who would have guessed?  
Now they only had to make sure that Ruby and her dog would indeed stick around.

\-------------

They had agreed to have dinner at the diner together before Ruby had to head to work at The Rabbit Hole after, funny enough, Regina had suggested it.

Emma insisted on paying and while she stood at the counter, talking to Eugenia Lucas, Ruby sat at the table, fidgeting with her hands.

“What is it?”, Regina eyed her curiously.

“I, well…I know it’s your week with Henry next week. I was just wondering if you could come by at the bar in the afternoon somewhen next week. I could use your help”, Ruby stated carefully while Regina’s expression turned from curious to confused.

“I’d like to hire you. The bar is in dire need of a makeover. I’ll pay you of course”, Ruby explained, “I just thought maybe you could come by and look at it in daylight for a change. Maybe it gives you some ideas. Half an hour tops.”

Regina smiled, “I’m sure we can arrange something.”

“Actually”, Henry interrupted, “I was gonna ask you if you would mind if I stayed at Ma’s for another week. I want to help Killian to get the boat ready for winter. And afterwards, I’d stay with you for two weeks…if that’s okay with you, Mom.”

Regina didn’t know what to say because she hadn’t expected that and she had been looking forward to having Henry around the next week, but apparently her son had different plans. At least it would give her the opportunity to help Ruby.

“Ready to go?”, Emma came back to Henry looking hopeful and Regina debating internally.   
That couldn’t mean anything good.

“Sure”, Henry got up and bounced, “I just told mom that it would be awesome if I could stay with you for another week so I can help Killian with the boat. And that I could spend two weeks with her afterwards.”

“Okay?”  
Emma had no clue what Henry was talking about. There was nothing wrong with the Jolly Roger whatsoever.

“It’s a win-win anyway. Because Ruby needs mom’s help to make the bar look pretty”, Henry added and winked at his blonde mother, who finally seemed to catch on.

“So, mom, can I?”

Regina looked at Emma, who only shrugged, and sighed, “I suppose.”

“Awesome!”  
Henry walked over to her and hugged her tight, “Thanks, mom! It’s going to be so cool to spend two weeks with you afterwards. We’ll have so much time…and we can start planning our camping trip for next year. Ruby needs to help. And we can take Nash to the park and…”

“Alright, alright”, Regina chuckled, “We’ll see about that. Call me before you go to sleep, okay?”

He nodded eagerly, “Of course. I love you, mom.”

“I love you too, my little prince.”

\-------------

Once Emma and Henry had said their goodbyes to everyone Ruby looked at Regina guiltily, “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to get in the way of your time with Henry…I…”

Regina put her hand on Ruby’s arm and squeezed it softly, “He’s a teenager and he starts to make his own choices. I might not like it, but I need to learn to let go. And he’s coming to stay with me for two weeks in a row afterwards, so I can’t really complain. Don’t worry about it.”

“I never asked if you actually want to help with the bar”, Ruby rasped out, suddenly aware that she had made the decision without even talking to Regina about any of it.

Regina’s smile never wavered, “It will be my honour.”


	14. A drunken mistake

**“W** hy are we here again?”, Regina asked as she took her seat in what had become their booth at _The Rabbit Hole_ the next day while she eyed Mal expectantly.  
She had been looking forward to a quiet night with her friends. At home. 

“Because we don’t want you to get withdrawal in regards to your waitress friend since it’s your week with Henry next week”, Mal smiled smugly and Kathryn only shook her head, fully aware that this night had the potential to end in disaster. 

Regina was acting weird and Mal was on edge because of some business deal gone wrong and she was stuck in the middle.  
God help her! 

“It’s not. He’s staying with Emma and Killian. They are going to work on the boat or something. And I’m helping Ruby re-decorating the bar. Aside from that we had dinner together with Henry before ”, Regina shot back before she realized what she was doing. 

“What is happening?”, Mal chuckled, “You ready to tie the knot yet…” 

Kathryn’s eyes went wide, “Mal, for heaven’s sake! Leave her alone. Regina is good at her job. Of course she would help a friend.” 

“Thanks, Kathryn. Besides, Ruby offered to pay me”, Regina regretted that statement immediately as well and closed her eyes. 

“Is that so?”, Mal smirked, “And how is she going to pay you? Do tell, Regina. I beg you.” 

Regina blushed furiously at her friend’s insinuation and she couldn’t have chosen a worse moment because the next thing she knew was that Ruby was standing next to her, eyeing her curiously, “Is everything alright?” 

“Uh…yeah”, Regina mumbled, “Hey.” 

“Hi”, the widest smile appeared on Ruby’s face before she looked at Mal and Kathryn, “Hello ladies. What can I get you?” 

Mal ordered a round of Martinis and Regina sighed in relief when Ruby dashed off to get their drinks, “Mal, I know you are having a shitty day, but please don’t embarrass me. It’s not my fault that that deal went wrong.”  


\-------------

Aside from a few jabs in Regina’s direction because Ruby served no other table personally, but theirs, the evening had gone well.  
Until the trio decided to leave because Mal had consumed a few drinks too many.

Ruby appeared with their bill and Mal, in her drunken stupor, ripped it from her hands and replaced it with a couple of bills, but instead of letting go of Ruby’s hand she squeezed it harder, “You know…if you ever get bored of the slowpoke and her snail’s pace you can always have a little fun with me.”  
She winked at Ruby while Kathryn tried to pull Mal away from the seemingly shocked woman.

 

“Thanks, but I have to decline. I’m not interested”, Ruby replied politely, looking helplessly at Regina, who didn’t know what to say. 

“Shame”, Mal slurred, “But come to think of it…might be better that way because I prefer my toys to be more manly if you understand what I mean.”

“Mal, it’s enough!”, Regina grit out through clenched teeth.

“Whatever you say, mom. Will is probably waiting already anyway…time at least one of us had some fun. Because we all know it won’t be you”, Mal snarked and Kathryn needed all her willpower not to slap her friend.  
Nobody should have to see Mal in such a state or be submitted to her less than desirable ways.

“I’m sorry”, Regina apologized to Ruby, who nodded, but that was the wrong thing to do entirely as it only caused Mal to get mad, “Don’t apologize for me! Do you hear me? I could buy this whole dump, together with your precious bartender if I wanted her. She’s young and she’s beautiful, I give you that…cute even. Like a puppy. And that easily swayed. We all know it. Why are you trying to pretend otherwise? Don’t be so naive. You were raised better than that.”

Regina closed her eyes, fighting the tears.  
She was embarrassed, but more than that, she was hurt. Had Mal forgotten how difficult her childhood had been, how deep the scars? 

Ruby only glared at Mal, “Out. Now.”

Mal raised her hands in mock surrender, “Don’t worry. We aren’t coming back either.”

“Speak for yourself”, Kathryn barked and finally managed to drag the drunken woman away, leaving Regina and Ruby to stare at one another wordlessly.

Regina’s mind was reeling and she tried her hardest to keep her emotions in check and Ruby seemed to be angry or hurt, probably both.  
When Ruby finally reached out, about the squeeze Regina’s arm, the older woman finally bolted with nothing, but another “I’m sorry” falling from her lips.

\-------------

After they had organized a cab for Mal they had taken on to Regina’s place together.  
Kathryn had tried to calm Regina down as best as she could, but it hadn’t done much good.  
Regina was simply disappointed and hurt by her friend’s actions and worried that Ruby would want nothing to do with her anymore after that debacle.  
Her sleep had been plagued by nightmares from her childhood on top of everything and it made her despise Mal even more.

Kathryn mentioned over breakfast that she thought that Mal had a drinking problem and while Regina couldn’t be bothered to worry about it at the moment she still listened to Kathryn’s arguments and found that she agreed.  
They would have to address that eventually because Mal might need help.

When Kathryn left for a meeting with her lawyer Regina decided to go for a run to clear her head. She needed that.  
She’d try to call Ruby in the afternoon.

\-------------

Regina almost fell over her own feet when she spotted Ruby asleep on “their” bench, together with Nash, who apparently sat guard.  
Worry instantly sneaked up on her because it was cold and maybe Ruby wasn’t sleeping. Maybe she was unconscious or…

Nash’s excited barking had Ruby shoot up before Regina reached them and the two women found themselves staring at one another once again while the dog jumped up and down to get Regina’s attention, but this once she ignored him.

“What are you doing here?”

Ruby wiped the sleep from her eyes, “I’ve been waiting for you. Must have fallen asleep at some point because I was exhausted from work. Long shift.”

Regina scoffed, “Haven’t you been to bed yet? It’s way too cold to be out here as well. What were you thinking?!”

A shrug was her answer. And a silent, “That we need to talk.”

Regina felt the knot in her stomach tighten instantly.  
This was it.  
This was the moment their story would end.  
Before it had even begun.

“I’ve been thinking”, Ruby started, “You’re going on and on about age and I got a fairly good impression what your friends think of people like me.”

“Ruby, I’m so sorry. I have no idea what has gotten into Mal last night. She’s usually not like that. I mean she can be a bitch, but that was…I have no words, but I’m so sorry. Kathryn thinks she might have a drinking problem. And she had trouble at work, but of course that’s no excuse and I…”, Regina rambled for lack of a better idea.

“You’re sorry. You said that already”, Ruby continued, “This is not about your friend’s behavior. Well, it is…partially. But what I meant was…you doubt me so much because of the age gap. It’s probably not your only reason, but it is a big issue for you. Not for me. Just to be clear. But hearing your friend talk about me last night as if I could be bought or whatever she insinuated…who guarantees me that I’m not just some “experiment” for you? Like that boy toy of your friend? I don’t want to be tossed aside for someone more suitable or fancier in the future. You know my history with Mulan. I don’t want to get my heart broken again. And yet I’m here…because I trust that you are not like your friend and that you’re actually serious when you say that you like me. But it doesn’t mean that last night’s incident hasn’t hit a nerve. And I’m only here, instead of in my bed, to tell you all of this because I care. And I need you to believe me when I’m saying that I like you too.”

It was the moment that Regina finally realised that Ruby was just as scared, just as insecure as she was and it was also the moment that it dawned Regina that she had more reason to trust Ruby than Ruby had to trust her and yet here she was, wearing her heart on her sleeve, praying that Regina wouldn’t crush it.

“I’m not like Mal. I’m not. I’d never do that to you. Or anyone else for that matter”, Regina started, “And you are right. There’s no guarantee for anything in life, but know that I want something real. Something lasting. A future. But that’s also why I’m so hesitant. It’s a pretty big deal and I don’t want to rush into anything and…”

“Okay.”

Regina eyes Ruby curiously, “Okay?”

“Yeah, okay. I get what you are saying and you’re right. Too many people rush into things way too fast and it blows up in their faces”, Ruby agreed.

She watched the bartender in wonder for a while because Regina had expected a different outcome of this conversation if she was honest.  
Well, she had expected a different conversation entirely.

“Don’t get me wrong, but you really look exhausted. How about coffee at my place? Because if your shivering body is any indication you’re cold too”, Regina suggested and finally bent down to pet a tail wagging Nash on the head.

“I would be forever in your debt.”

\-------------

By the time the coffee was ready Ruby was fast asleep on the couch and Regina didn’t have the heart to wake her so she decided to prepare a proper lunch for later.  
Nash followed her to the kitchen and tried to sneak a bite throughout the whole process.

\-------------

Ruby didn’t wake up till three in the afternoon and was positively embarrassed once she finally did, but Regina only gave her a stern look and pointed out that she had needed the rest.  
And that Nash had kept her perfectly entertained.

They ate the homemade paste Regina had prepared in silence, but afterwards Ruby started to pace the kitchen, causing Regina to worry.

“Is something wrong?”

Ruby wrung her hands together, “Not exactly. The thing is…Tink will be helping with painting the bar and stuff.”

Regina raised an eyebrow in confusion, “And? I don’t see why that is a problem.”

“Well…I know that you noticed that she’s hitting it off with a different girl every week and…she’s basically the kind of person you thought I was in the beginning. But that doesn’t make her a bad person. She’s one of my closest friends and I trust her and…”, Ruby ranted and Regina took her hand, “Breathe.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed that she’s leaving with a different girl regularly. But of course, that doesn’t make her a bad person. That’s not what I meant. Ever. It’s not. As long as people are upfront about their intentions it’s perfectly fine. What I meant…back then…before I got to know you. Well, what I meant was that…trust doesn’t necessarily come easy for me for many reasons. One of them being that I was raised in a household where no one could be trusted. Not really. My father, as long as it didn’t involve my mother, but that’s a story for another day. And I’m not sure I could trust someone enough to be with them, to believe in their affection for me…if they had been seeing different people all the time before. When their affections are so easily swayed. I don’t say it’s impossible for people to change either…but I couldn’t do it. And that’s not on them, it’s on me. Because of who I am. Do you understand that?”

Ruby nodded and squeezed Regina’s hand gently, “I actually do. I’m not sure I could either. I mean as I said…I do trust Tink. But we’re only friends. Have been for years. But I’m worried what will happen if she ever falls in love again. I hope her reputation won’t ruin things for her.”

“So she has been in love before”, Regina stated more than asked and Ruby dropped her eyes, staring at the floor.

“Once. You should have seen them together - the epitome of True Love. And then Wendy died and Tink has never been the same again. She says that’s why she’s only seeing people casually. Because she doesn’t want to get attached to anyone. Because losing the person she loved once was enough to last her a lifetime.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Ruby took a deep breath while Nash appeared seemingly out of nowhere and put his head on her lap. She petted him with a smile, “Thanks, buddy.”

\-------------

Since it would be too stressful to go back home to shower and change before her shift Ruby took Regina up on her offer to do so at her apartment.  
Nash would stay with Regina for the evening and they would meet up for a run tomorrow afternoon.

When Ruby appeared in the living room, wearing the jeans from before and the T-shirt Regina had gotten for her the older woman couldn’t help, but chuckle.

“Funny. I can’t go to work like that”, Ruby whined and stared at the print on said shirt that had Timon and Pumba from _The Lion King_ printed on it, together with the famous slogan ‘Hakuna Matata’.

“I’ll have you know…it was a gift from Henry a couple of years ago. You should feel honored that I’m allowing you to wear it”, Regina countered and Ruby rolled her eyes, “Is that why it looks brand new? You didn’t wear it because Henry got it for you? Or because you are too embarrassed to wear it yourself?”

“I can give you one of my button downs if you would like that better”, Regina suggested, already halfway out the door.

“Hell no! That would be even worse.”

“Well, then…you’ll have to wear that I’m afraid”, Regina chirped, “Consider it payback.”

Ruby’s expression turned into one of confusion, “Payback?”

“I had to wear your flannel the other week. And Emma saw me. She’ll never let me live that down.”

“My flannel! I totally forgot. Whatever happened to that anyway?”

Regina smiled triumphantly, “It’s in my closet and I’m not giving it back. It’s comfy.”


	15. Apologies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Sorry for the delay!!! All I'm saying is food poisoning. Meh._

**A** bout an hour after Ruby had left for work there was a knock on the door, causing Regina to sigh.  
She had started to make some notes and sketches for The Rabbit Hole that she wanted to discuss with Ruby the next day and she was really looking forward to an uneventful and quiet evening.  
Apparently, she has no such luck.

Nash accompanied her to the door and she pulled it open, half expecting it to be Emma or Henry because Kathryn would have called.Or texted.Maybe Ruby had forgotten something.

Instead, she came face to face with Mal.

Regina’s face went dark instantly, “What are you doing here?”

“I came to”, Mal struggled to keep talking, “I came to say that I’m sorry. I messed up last night. I know.”

Regina’s eyes went wide while she stared at her friend. Mal didn’t apologize, she was way too proud for that.

Nash barked at the unfamiliar woman when she tried to make a step towards Regina, causing Mal to stop dead in her tracks, “I wasn’t aware that you’ve gotten a dog.”

“I haven’t”, Regina replied. She hesitated there for a moment, but concluded that there was no point in lying, “He’s Ruby’s.”

Mal had the good grace to look somewhat ashamed of herself and nodded, “I see. Can I…can I come in?”

Regina sighed, but opened the door wider, but the dog wouldn’t move an inch and barked once again.  
“It’s okay, Nash. She’s a…she’s a friend.”

\-------------

Mal studied Regina’s drafts for a moment when she took a seat on the couch in the living room after she had declined the offer of a drink.  
Regina sat on the far end of the couch, tense and petting Nash’s head absentmindedly.  
Nash, who sat next to her, obviously trying to ”shield” her from Mal, was the one thing that was currently helping to calm Regina down and she was insanely grateful for it.  
She was so mad, but more than that she was hurt.

“Those are really good ideas, Regina. Ruby will be pleased”, Mal stated, but Regina remained quiet.

“Look”, Mal continued, “I know I messed up, Regina. I know. And I’m truly sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

“You’re drinking too much”, was Regina’s only response, “Kathryn and I talked and she’s actually right. I don’t even remember when the last time was that I saw you sober.”

“I know.”

Regina hadn’t expected that. She had expected yelling and Mal telling her that she should mind her own business and a drink here and there didn’t hurt.

“What happened?”, she asked when Mal refused to say anything else, refused to even look at her, “Mal, what did you do?”

“I called Lily.”

Regina closed her eyes shut instantly, taking a deep breath in the process.  
This was bad. Really bad.  
She knew that Mal missed her daughter, but she also understood why Lily and her mother weren’t on speaking terms.  
Mal had promised to leave her alone she Lily could deal with everything that had happened, but apparently she had broken that promise in her drunken stupor and must have backfired spectacularly if the sorrow in Mal’s eyes was anything to go by.

“You need to get help”, is what Regina said at last because it’s all she had at that moment.

“I know. And I will”, Mal played with the ring on her finger, “After the party next Friday. Are you…are you still coming?”

The annual party of Mal’s company. She had totally forgotten about that.  
Regina wanted to say that she couldn’t because she had Henry, but remembered that Mal already knew that her son was staying with Emma for another week.

“Is my mother coming?”

Mal scoffed, “I honestly doubt it. I mean we’ve invited her for what? The last fifteen years? And she’s never even bothered to cancel.”

Regina nodded, “I’ll be there.”

“Thank you”, Mal gave her a small smile, “Maybe you want to invite Ruby. I guess I should apologize to her too.”

Brown eyes went wide, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“It doesn’t have to be a date. Just tell her I’d love to make amends”, Mal got up, ready to go, “I won’t disturb you any longer. I know I’ve hurt you, Regina. And I’m really sorry I did.”

\-------------

Regina woke up to a snoring Nash once again and couldn’t help, but chuckle when she opened her eyes and saw him lying on the pillow next to hers.  
If somebody would have told her that she would share a bed with a dog one day, a Pitbull no less, she would have thought them crazy.  
But truth be told - she had come to adore that crazy beast almost as much as its owner.

She made breakfast and drove to the store afterwards to get the dog food she knew Nash preferred.  
And although she would have only needed to buy one can Regina got a whole package, dog treats and one of the annoying squeaky toys Nash loved so much.  
Who would have guessed.

Their morning walk turned out to be quite pleasant as well, leaving Regina in a great mood and inspired in regards to her work.  
—————

Around it had started to rain heavily so Regina had sent a text to Ruby that she would wait for her at her place because there was no point in going for a run if the rain wouldn’t let up. Regina had no interest in getting sick whatsoever.

Ruby arrived later than she had anticipated, only around five, but with a take-out bag from the diner in hand. She had needed to help out for a while and had brought burgers and milkshakes as an apology.  
————

“Oh my God! What are these?”, Ruby stared at Regina’s drafts in disbelief, “When have you done those? How? You haven’t even seen the bar in proper light yet…”

Regina shrugged, “I’ve been playing around a little the last couple of days. It’s nothing, really.”

“Nothing? It looks incredible!”, Ruby hugged Regina without warning, “Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome, dear. It’s not even that much work. We could go paint shopping tomorrow and while you and Tink start painting I could go decoration hunting?”

Ruby smiled, “You know what? That’s a great idea. Then we don’t have to close for long either. I thought we had to close for at least two weeks, but if we are lucky…we might be able to re-open on Saturday already. That’s soooo cool!”

When Ruby’s excitement had calmed down Regina got serious all of a sudden, “Can I talk to you about something for a moment?”

“Absolutely.”

They sat down on the couch together and Regina cleared her throat nervously, “Mal was here last night. To apologise.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t think I’ve just forgiven her, but the thing is…we’ve been friends for so long and she’s always been there for me. I told her that she needed help because she’s barely sober these days and she said she’ll get help. Apparently she called her daughter while drunk and things are even worse now than the were before”, Regina sighed.

“Daughter? What daughter?”, Ruby looked at Regina in confusion.

“Mal and her first husband had a daughter. Lily. They divorced when she was seven. He was a horrible husband, always yelling, always cheating. But Lily was his everything. After the divorce Lily stayed with Mal because Roger was traveling so much for his business, but that girl loved her father more than anything. When Lily was almost seventeen Roger went bankrupt and he begged Mal to help him because he had made some deals with really shady people, but she refused. He was found a couple of days later. Dead. Head bashed in. And Lily…she blamed Mal. I think she does to this day. Deep down she probably even blames herself although she owed him nothing and she wasn’t responsible for the shit he head gotten himself into. But you know how it is…her and her family. They have so much money. It would have been peanuts for her and I think that’s why Lily is so mad although I’m pretty sure that somewhere in that smart brain of hers she knows that Mal would have given him the money, had she known how it would end. Not for him, but for her daughter. Because she loves her”, Regina explained to a somewhat shocked Ruby.

“Oh wow. What a story. What happened to Lily?”

Regina sighed, “She moved to North Carolina to live with Roger’s sister Ingrid. She hasn’t spoken to Mal in years. Mal promised to give her the time she needed, but it’s taken a toll on her. She always hoped that Lily would come around and one day she might, but I’m a mother myself. If Henry would stop to talk to me I would go crazy.”

Ruby nodded, “I totally get that.”

“Anyway. Mal came to apologise and she never apologises, so I think she really is sorry. And she invited me to her annual company party on Friday. She always does. I hate those kinds of events, but she’s my friend although she really didn’t act like that Friday night. Emma always accompanied me when we were together and you know how she is…she doesn’t give a damn about ‘those rich bastards’. She always made it kind of fun although Mal would kill me if she ever heard I said that. Last year I was there by myself because Kathryn was in Dubai at the time and it was a nightmare”, Regina rambled and Ruby found it adorable, “Are you attending this year?”

“I should. And Mal invited you too. She wants to make amends. I know it’s a lot to ask, but would you probably consider coming with me?”, Regina’s eyes were wide and she seemed slightly panicked, but Ruby only squeezed her arm gently, “Relax. I’ll come.”

“Really?”

“How could I say ‘no’ to a night out with you?”, Ruby joked, which made Regina tense even more, “Breathe, okay? I know it’s not a date-date and gosh, I’m so glad. Because a party with caviar sandwiches and champagne, surrounded by filthy rich people who don’t even know the definition of fun is not what I have in mind for a first date.”

“I’m sorry, I’m being overly sensitive lately.”

“Regina, it’s fine. When should I be there?”

\-------------

The whole week went by at lightning speed because they were so busy renovating and Regina also had to do her regular work and meet clients.  
Every second she could spare she spent at The Rabbit Hole though, where she got to know the rest of the bar crew, not only Tink. Everyone had volunteered to help and so she had also met Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Lacey and Ashley. Of course, she had seen all of them at the bar before, but had never spoken to them, except when she had ordered drinks.  
They were crazy, but an incredibly nice bunch of people and Regina enjoyed working with them. Tink was exceptionally funny and Regina could see why Ruby liked her so much. 

Ruby was still busy at the bar when Regina left Friday afternoon - to get ready for Mal’s event.  
They had agreed to meet there because Regina wanted to stop by at a client’s house for a moment for some last minute changes they wanted to make all of a sudden.

Needless to say, Regina was a nervous wreck by the time she arrived the location Mal had rented because she was late. And she hated to be late.  
But a quick stop at her clients had turned out into a half an hour discussion.  
Well, she couldn’t change it anymore.

She got out of her car and entered the building, cursing that she has basically left Ruby alone in a pool of sharks. She had every intention to apologize as soon as she found her, but the minute she entered the room she stopped dead in her tracks.  
The first person she caught sight of wasn’t Ruby, not even Mal.  
It was her mother, Cora Mills, in all her glory.

Regina paled and she had to fight the instinct to turn around and run. To flee.  
But she couldn’t do that to Ruby.

The only problem was that Ruby wasn’t even there.  
Nor did she show up all evening.


	16. Hurt

_**R** uby pulled her into a hug and for a second Regina felt like her friend had no intention to let go of her ever again._

_“I’ll see you at Mal’s party?”_

_A blinding smile appeared on Ruby’s face, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”_

\-------------

Regina entered her apartment shortly after midnight and slammed the door shut.  
She felt exhausted beyond words, drained really.  
And then there was this huge amount of disappointment and even anger.

She had texted Ruby five times and had tried to call her twice, but all her attempts to contact her friend had stayed unanswered.

Kathryn showing up had been her saving grace because she had kept her distracted and away from her mother for the most part.  
It had surprised her that her mother hadn’t been in her face the second she had caught sight of her, but then again she should have known better.Her mother wouldn’t cause a scene in front of the city’s elite and ruin her perfect reputation.

Cora had waited till Kathryn had gone to the restroom and Regina had been by herself.  
She should have seen it coming and yet Cora had struck out of nowhere, fast and hard, and it had left Regina hurting more than she cared to admit.

Regina was well aware that, in her mother’s eyes, she was a complete failure. But hearing her say it and Cora referring to Henry as “that bastard you call your son” was something she couldn’t shake off as easily as she wanted to.  
It wasn’t that Regina had wanted Ruby to meet her mother, she would have moved heaven and hell to avoid it if she was honest, but she had needed Ruby. She had needed her friend, who had promised to be there. She would have appreciated her support, she would have revelled in the comfort Ruby would have offered. But she hadn’t shown up.

And Regina was disappointed. And hurt. And angry.

Thoughts that Ruby was probably drinking with her friends and colleagues, celebrating the reopening of the bar in two days were plaguing Regina.  
Had Ruby only been so nice because she had needed her help? Regina tried not to listen to her traitorous brain, but the encounter with her mother had left her particularly vulnerable and insecure and she couldn’t shake the doubt that kept sneaking up on her.

What if Ruby didn’t care about her and all of this has only been one big joke? Ruby was probably laughing her head off with her friends right now because of her stupidity.  
It had been too good to be true, no? Could a young and beautiful and kind woman like Ruby really be interested in her and the mess that was her life and patchwork family?  
Henry.  
God, what would she tell Henry if…

The ringing of her phone made Regina jump and she realized that she had been standing in the middle of the living room for almost half an hour.  
She pulled the device out of her purse and caught sight of Kathryn’s name on the display, which led her to put the phone on the couch table.  
She knew Kathryn meant well, but she wasn’t in the mood to talk. Not right now.

Phone abandoned she got out of her heels and went to the bathroom to get changed for a night she would undoubtedly spend brooding on the couch, realizing that the calls didn’t stop.  
When she was done brushing her teeth she sighed in defeat and walked back into the living room to retrieve her phone, noticing that she didn’t only have seven missed calls, but also three unread texts.  
All from Kathryn.

What the hell was going on?

**Kathryn Nolan: Regina, answer the phone.**

**Kathryn Nolan: Regina, I know you aren’t sleeping. Answer the goddamn phone!**

**Kathryn Nolan: Answer the phone, it’s an emergency!**

 

Regina was about to call her back when the phone started ringing again, “Kathryn, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“Turn on the TV!”

Worry gave way to confusion, “Are you kidding me? You said it was an emergency…Kathryn, if you think this is funny…”

“REGINA MILLS. TURN ON THE TV RIGHT THIS INSTANT!”

Regina’s eyes went wide at Kathryn’s barking tone because she could count the occasions on which Kathryn had used it with her on one hand and she grabbed the remote with lightning speed and watched as the screen came to life.

“Which channel?”, she asked carefully and she heard Kathryn take a calming breath, “News.”

She did as she was told, not sure what Kathryn wanted her to see, but as soon as caught sight of the news reporter, who was standing in front of…in front of _The Rabbit Hole_! Regina dropped the remote while she fought to keep her phone pressed to her ear.

 

_“Three people have been attacked right in front of The Rabbit Hole, the most popular gay bar in town, earlier this evening. According to the authorities, the_ _victims are the bar manager and two of her employees. All of them have been brought to the hospital after, what the police suspects, to be a hate crime._ _People here are in shock while they hope that the investigation will bring the, as of yet unidentified, attackers to justice.”_

__

Ruby.

“I gotta go.” It was all Regina could say while her mind raced a mile a minute.

“Regina, are you alright? I could come over and…” “I gotta go.”  
And then she hung up.  
Two minutes later she was in her car and driving. Like a robot. Completely on autopilot.

Ruby had gotten hurt.

She should have known that Ruby wouldn’t just break a promise. Ruby wasn’t that kind of person. And yet she had gotten hung up on her insecurities, on her anger, instead of worrying about her friend’s well-being.  
She should have known that something must have happened when Ruby hadn’t shown.

Guilt started to gnaw at her while she parked her car in front of the hospital and stormed in to find someone who could tell her where she could find Ruby.  
Regina reached the ER, breathless and worried beyond words, and turned to the desk where a nurse was talking on the phone.

She tried, with all her might, to be patient, but it really wasn’t Regina’s strongest skill and she was panicking and, “Excuse me! Where do I find Ruby Lucas?”

The woman put up her hand to let Regina know that she had to wait for a moment and finished her call before she looked up and smiled, “Sorry. My son is sick. What can I do for you?”

“I want to know where Ruby Lucas is. She was brought in earlier. She was…”, Regina struggled to say it, “A-attacked. In front of her bar…” “Oh yes! What a horrible incident. Are you family?”

“Well, no”, Regina couldn’t even focus on the question as it dawned on her that attacked could mean a couple of things. One more awful than the other.

The nurse smiled sympathetically, “I’m sorry, but I can’t give you any information if you aren’t family.”

Regina’s fist slammed down on the desk, “She’s my friend, goddamnit!”

“Please, calm down. I don’t want to call security, but I have to if you don’t”, the nurse tried to reason, but Regina grew more agitated by the second.

“My friend has been attacked and I need to know where she is. If she is okay. I…”

“Regina?”

Eugenia Lucas came round the corner and Regina felt dread wrapping itself around her chest. It had to be bad when Ruby’s grandmother was here, right?

She rushed over to the older woman, who looked her up and down in confusion, none-the-less and then it dawned on her that she was wearing sweatpants and an ‘Evil Queen’ hoody. Another gift from Henry.  
In her defense, she had gotten changed to sulk on the couch before she had seen the news.

“Is she okay?”

Eugenia looked as worried as Regina felt, but nodded, “Ruby and Tink are as fine as they can be, considering the circumstances. Lacey is the one we are worried about.”

“What happened?”

Ruby’s grandmother sighed, “From what Tink told me they were about to leave when Lacey realized she had forgotten her phone, so she went back inside. The others had already left, so it was just Ruby, Tink and Lacey. While they waited for her to come back two guys appeared and made some crude comments and when they kept ignoring them those bastards apparently felt disrespected and they attacked them in an attempt to _teach them a lesson_. Ruby and Tink fought back and ended up being punched and what not. Lacey came back to find her friends on the ground with those guys hovering over them and tried to help them…they’ve taken her into emergency surgery because she suffered massive trauma to the head. Someone must have heard the commotion because the police arrived only moments later according to Tink and those bastards fled like the cowards they are.”

Regina put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming. This was a nightmare. A bad dream.It had to be. 

“Anna and Elsa will stay the night to wait on news about Lacey. Olaf will take Tink home and I’m waiting till they are done stitching up Ruby”, Eugenia stated and Regina’s eyes went wide, “Stitching up?!”

“She’ll be fine.”

Regina wasn’t convinced. Not at all.

\-------------

When the doctor, who introduced himself as Doctor Whale, finally came to take Eugenia back to see her granddaughter she told him that Regina was with her and he simply nodded.  
They followed him down the corridor and into the room Ruby was in.

Regina was close to tears when she saw her beaten and bruised friend while Ruby’s eyes went wide in surprise at the sight of Regina.

“I’d like to keep her overnight but she insists on going home”, Doctor Whale started accusingly, “I will release her but she needs constant supervision for the next forty-eight hours at least.”

“Child, I can’t sit with you all day. As much as it pains me. But we are short staffed at the diner…”, Eugenia said regretfully and Ruby’s face fell.  
“I’ll do it”, Regina said without thinking. She was sure she had some appointments scheduled, but didn’t care. It was nothing that couldn’t wait, couldn’t be re-scheduled. Or canceled.

“Regina, you don’t have to. I can take care of myself”, Ruby whispered and winced as she tried to move.

She shook her head in disbelief of her friend’s stubbornness, “Nonsense. You are coming with me. Or you are staying. Your choice.”

\-------------

Eugenia and Regina had exchanged phone numbers while they had waited for the discharge papers. Ruby on her part had been awfully silent and it tore at Regina’s heartstrings.  
She was well aware that Ruby was trying to put on a brave face, but she could see how much her friend struggled not to fall apart.

It took another fifteen minutes before they were in the car and Regina drove Eugenia home, promising that she would keep her posted and that she was welcome to visit whenever she got time.

By the time they arrived at Regina’s apartment it was almost three in the morning.  
Getting Ruby into her apartment and furthermore into her bedroom was not an easy task considering that Ruby was limping and in pain and Regina didn’t even know how many injuries she hadn’t even seen because Ruby had already been dressed and ready to go by the time she had entered the room.

Not that the growing bruise on the side of her head, the split lip and the band-aid on her temple weren’t enough to give her nightmares for the foreseeable future.

Once Ruby was sitting on the bed Regina got a pair of sweatpants and a shirt out of her closet and put it next to her friend, who looked up at her with such sadness that Regina wanted to cry, “I’m sorry I didn’t show up at the party.”

Regina knelt down in front of her and took her hands carefully, “Ruby, please. I don’t care about that stupid party. You could have gotten killed tonight. I’m just glad that you’re…well, not alright…but.”

“I know. Lacey…there was so much blood. What if she…?”

Regina squeezed her hand softly, “She won’t.”  
She got back up slowly, “Let me help you get changed. You need to get some rest. It’s been a long day.”

\-------------

She had gasped in horror when she had gotten Ruby out of her shirt only to notice that almost all of her upper body was bandaged, together with her right arm and an angry bruise was forming on her left.  
What the hell had they done to Ruby?

Regina had hurried to get her changed quickly afterward and had helped her to lie down before she had gotten a glass of water and some painkillers for Ruby to take. 

She was about to say good night and retreat to her spot on the couch when Ruby grabbed her hand, “Would you mind staying? I don’t want to be alone right now.”

It sounded so broken, scared even, and not at all like the vibrant and life loving woman she knew and Regina promised that she would stay as long as Ruby needed her.  
It was true what she had said earlier - Ruby could have died tonight and the thought was unbearable.  
Life was unpredictable and cruel, Regina knew that better than anyone, but she was well aware how close she had come to losing the person she…the person she was in love with.

She couldn’t deny it any longer. Life was too short. Now was not the time to talk about it, she was aware of that, but Regina couldn’t deny it any longer.  
The moment she had heard the news she had been done with that.  
She had been so scared for Ruby, worried in a way she usually only worried about her son. The way she once had worried about Emma and probably still did, because despite everything they would always be a family.  
That’s when she had known for sure.  
She was in love with Ruby Lucas, no matter how crazy that was.

With that thought in mind, she climbed into bed, careful not to hurt Ruby, who instantly moved closer, seeking solace and comfort, apparently convinced that Regina could provide it.

Regina waited for Ruby to settle down next to her, head on Regina’s shoulder, before she wrapped her up in her arms, all the while careful not to cause Ruby more pain.

“If you need anything don’t hesitate to wake me”, Regina whispered before she put a kiss to Ruby’s forehead, “And now sleep, dear. Your body needs all the rest it can get.”

She felt Ruby nod against her shoulder, “We need to get Nash in the morning. Granny is too busy to take proper care of him.”

Regina couldn’t help, but chuckle, “Of course. Not sure the bed is big enough for the three of us, but we’ll make it work.”

She couldn’t see it, but she knew Ruby was smiling.  
If somebody would have told Regina a couple of months ago that her future would include a bartender/bar manager and a Pitbull she would have thought them insane.  
Now the mere thought made her giddy.

Ruby's recovery wouldn't happen overnight and Regina was worried to no end still, but Ruby was alive.  
She was right here, in her arms, and she would be fine.  
And everything else would fall into place in time.


End file.
